Radar sensing and emergency response vehicle detection

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for a complete vehicle ecosystem are provided. Specifically, systems that when taken alone, or together, provide an individual or group of individuals with an intuitive and comfortable vehicular environment. The present disclosure includes a system that detects emergency signals and presents alerts to devices of a vehicle to notify vehicle users of the emergency signals. Further, the methods and systems provide a presentation approach to continue to alert a user and even control a vehicle when an acceptable response to a first alert, or series of alerts, is not received from the user.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/253,078 filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “Radar Sensing andEmergency Response Vehicle Detection,” which claims the benefits of andpriority, under 35 U.S.C. §119(e), to U.S. Provisional Application Ser.Nos. 61/811,981, filed on Apr. 15, 2013, entitled “FunctionalSpecification for a Next Generation Automobile”; 61/865,954, filed onAug. 14, 2013, entitled “Gesture Control of Vehicle Features”;61/870,698, filed on Aug. 27, 2013, entitled “Gesture Control and UserProfiles Associated with Vehicle Features”; 61/891,217, filed on Oct.15, 2013, entitled “Gesture Control and User Profiles Associated withVehicle Features”; 61/904,205, filed on Nov. 14, 2013, entitled “GestureControl and User Profiles Associated with Vehicle Features”; 61/924,572,filed on Jan. 7, 2014, entitled “Gesture Control and User ProfilesAssociated with Vehicle Features”; 61/926,749, filed on Jan. 13, 2014,entitled “Method and System for Providing Infotainment in a Vehicle”;and 62/076,330, filed on Nov. 6, 2014, entitled “Radar Sensing andEmergency Response Vehicle Detection.” The entire disclosures of theapplications listed above are hereby incorporated by reference, in theirentirety, for all that they teach and for all purposes.

This application is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/420,236, filed on Mar. 14, 2012, entitled, “Configurable VehicleConsole”; Ser. No. 13/420,240, filed on Mar. 14, 2012, entitled“Removable, Configurable Vehicle Console”; Ser. No. 13/462,593, filed onMay 2, 2012, entitled “Configurable Dash Display”; Ser. No. 13/462,596,filed on May 2, 2012, entitled “Configurable Heads-Up Dash Display”;Ser. No. 13/679,459, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “VehicleComprising Multi-Operating System” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-228); Ser.No. 13/679,234, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Gesture Recognitionfor On-Board Display” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-229); Ser. No.13/679,412, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Vehicle Application Storefor Console” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-230); Ser. No. 13/679,857, filedon Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Sharing Applications/Media Between Car andPhone (Hydroid)” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-231); Ser. No. 13/679,878,filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “In-Cloud Connection for CarMultimedia” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-232); Ser. No. 13/679,875, filedon Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Music Streaming” (Attorney Docket No.6583-233); Ser. No. 13/679,676, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Control of Device Features Based on Vehicle State” (Attorney Docket No.6583-234); Ser. No. 13/678,673, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Insurance Tracking” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-235); Ser. No.13/678,691, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Law Breaking/BehaviorSensor” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-236); Ser. No. 13/678,699, filed onNov. 16, 2012, entitled “Etiquette Suggestion” (Attorney Docket No.6583-237); Ser. No. 13/678,710, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Parking Space Finder Based on Parking Meter Data” (Attorney Docket No.6583-238); Ser. No. 13/678,722, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Parking Meter Expired Alert” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-239); Ser. No.13/678,726, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Object Sensing (PedestrianAvoidance/Accident Avoidance)” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-240); Ser. No.13/678,735, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Proximity Warning Relativeto Other Cars” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-241); Ser. No. 13/678,745,filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Street Side Sensors” (Attorney DocketNo. 6583-242); Ser. No. 13/678,753, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Car Location” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-243); Ser. No. 13/679,441,filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Universal Bus in the Car” (AttorneyDocket No. 6583-244); Ser. No. 13/679,864, filed on Nov. 16, 2012,entitled “Mobile Hot Spot/Router/Application Share Site or Network”(Attorney Docket No. 6583-245); Ser. No. 13/679,815, filed on Nov. 16,2012, entitled “Universal Console Chassis for the Car” (Attorney DocketNo. 6583-246); Ser. No. 13/679,476, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Vehicle Middleware” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-247); Ser. No.13/679,306, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Method and System forVehicle Data Collection Regarding Traffic” (Attorney Docket No.6583-248); Ser. No. 13/679,369, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Methodand System for Vehicle Data Collection” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-249);Ser. No. 13/679,680, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “CommunicationsBased on Vehicle Diagnostics and Indications” (Attorney Docket No.6583-250); Ser. No. 13/679,443, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Methodand System for Maintaining and Reporting Vehicle Occupant Information”(Attorney Docket No. 6583-251); Ser. No. 13/678,762, filed on Nov. 16,2012, entitled “Behavioral Tracking and Vehicle Applications” (AttorneyDocket No. 6583-252); Ser. No. 13/679,292, filed Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Branding of Electrically Propelled Vehicles Via the Generation ofSpecific Operating Output” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-258); Ser. No.13/679,400, filed Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Vehicle Climate Control”(Attorney Docket No. 6583-313); Ser. No. 13/840,240, filed on Mar. 15,2013, entitled “Improvements to Controller Area Network Bus” (AttorneyDocket No. 6583-314); Ser. No. 13/678,773, filed on Nov. 16, 2012,entitled “Location Information Exchange Between Vehicle and Device”(Attorney Docket No. 6583-315); Ser. No. 13/679,887, filed on Nov. 16,2012, entitled “In Car Communication Between Devices” (Attorney DocketNo. 6583-316); Ser. No. 13/679,842, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Configurable Hardware Unit for Car Systems” (Attorney Docket No.6583-317); Ser. No. 13/679,204, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Feature Recognition for Configuring a Vehicle Console and AssociatedDevices” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-318); Ser. No. 13/679,350, filed onNov. 16, 2012, entitled “Configurable Vehicle Console” (Attorney DocketNo. 6583-412); Ser. No. 13/679,358, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Configurable Dash Display” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-413); Ser. No.13/679,363, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Configurable Heads-Up DashDisplay” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-414); and Ser. No. 13/679,368, filedon Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Removable, Configurable Vehicle Console”(Attorney Docket No. 6583-415). The entire disclosures of theapplications listed above are hereby incorporated by reference, in theirentirety, for all that they teach and for all purposes.

This application is also related to PCT Patent Application Nos.PCT/US14/34092, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled, “Building ProfilesAssociated with Vehicle Users” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-543-PCT);PCT/US14/34099, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “Access and Portabilityof User Profiles Stored as Templates” (Attorney Docket No.6583-544-PCT); PCT/US14/34087, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “UserInterface and Virtual Personality Presentation Based on User Profile”(Attorney Docket No. 6583-547-PCT); PCT/US14/34088, filed on Apr. 15,2014, entitled “Creating Targeted Advertising Profiles Based on UserBehavior” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-549-PCT); PCT/US14/34232, filed onApr. 15, 2014, entitled “Behavior Modification via Altered Map RoutesBased on User Profile Information” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-550-PCT);PCT/US14/34098, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “Vehicle Location-BasedHome Automation Triggers” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-556-PCT);PCT/US14/34108, filed on Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “Vehicle InitiatedCommunications with Third Parties via Virtual Personalities” (AttorneyDocket No. 6583-559-PCT); PCT/US14/34101, filed on Apr. 15, 2014,entitled “Vehicle Intruder Alert Detection and Indication” (AttorneyDocket No. 6583-562-PCT); PCT/US14/34103, filed on Apr. 15, 2014,entitled “Driver Facts Behavior Information Storage System” (AttorneyDocket No. 6583-565-PCT); PCT/US14/34114, filed on Apr. 15, 2014,entitled “Synchronization Between Vehicle and User Device Calendar”(Attorney Docket No. 6583-567-PCT); PCT/US14/34125, filed on Apr. 15,2014, entitled “User Gesture Control of Vehicle Features” (AttorneyDocket No. 6583-569-PCT); PCT/US14/34254, filed on Apr. 15, 2014,entitled “Central Network for the Automated Control of VehicularTraffic” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-574-PCT); and PCT/US14/34194, filedon Apr. 15, 2014, entitled “Vehicle-Based Multimode Discovery” (AttorneyDocket No. 6583-585-PCT). The entire disclosures of the applicationslisted above are hereby incorporated by reference, in their entirety,for all that they teach and for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Whether using private, commercial, or public transport, the movement ofpeople and/or cargo has become a major industry. In today'sinterconnected world, daily travel is essential to engaging in commerce.Commuting to and from work can account for a significant portion of atraveler's day. As a result, vehicle manufacturers have begun to focuson making this commute, and other journeys, more enjoyable.

Currently, vehicle manufacturers attempt to entice travelers to use aspecific conveyance based on any number of features. Most of thesefeatures focus on vehicle safety or efficiency. From the addition ofsafety-restraints, air-bags, and warning systems to more efficientengines, motors, and designs, the vehicle industry has worked to appeasethe supposed needs of the traveler. Recently, however, vehiclemanufactures have shifted their focus to user and passenger comfort as aprimary concern. Making an individual more comfortable while travelinginstills confidence and pleasure in using a given vehicle, increasing anindividual's preference for a given manufacturer and/or vehicle type.

One way to instill comfort in a vehicle is to create an environmentwithin the vehicle similar to that of an individual's home. Integratingfeatures in a vehicle that are associated with comfort found in anindividual's home can ease a traveler's transition from home to vehicle.Several manufacturers have added comfort features in vehicles such asthe following: leather seats, adaptive and/or personal climate controlsystems, music and media players, ergonomic controls, and, in somecases, Internet connectivity. However, because these manufacturers haveadded features to a conveyance, they have built comfort around a vehicleand failed to build a vehicle around comfort.

SUMMARY

There is a need for a vehicle ecosystem, which can integrate bothphysical and mental comforts, while seamlessly communicating withcurrent electronic devices to result in a totally intuitive andimmersive user experience. These and other needs are addressed by thevarious aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations of the presentdisclosure. Also, while the disclosure is presented in terms ofexemplary and optional embodiments, it should be appreciated thatindividual aspects of the disclosure can be separately claimed.

Aspects of the invention are directed toward:

1. A system for vehicle to another party communications comprising:

a vehicle personality module adapted to create a vehicle personality;

a communications system that utilizes the created vehicle personalityfor one or more communications instead of a user's profile.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle personality is based onone or more user profiles.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle personality utilizes avehicle communications module to send and receive communications.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle personality utilizes auser's communication device to send and receive communications.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of an identifier and anicon is associated with the vehicle personality and sent with at leastone communication.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle personality isautomatically utilized based on a determined context.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the determined context is a geographicarea that prohibits phone usage while driving.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle personality communicatesdirectly with the another party.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle personality intercepts oneor more communications for a user of the vehicle.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more communications arefor any user associated with the vehicle.

11. A method for vehicle to another party communications comprising:creating a vehicle personality; utilizing the created vehiclepersonality for one or more communications instead of a user's profile.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle personality is based onone or more user profiles.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle personality utilizes avehicle communications module to send and receive communications.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle personality utilizes auser's communication device to send and receive communications.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein one or more of an identifier and anicon is associated with the vehicle personality and sent with at leastone communication.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle personality isautomatically utilized based on a determined context.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the determined context is ageographic area that prohibits phone usage while driving.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle personality communicatesdirectly with the another party.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle personality interceptsone or more communications for a user of the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more communications arefor any user associated with the vehicle.

A system for vehicle to another party communications comprising:

means for creating a vehicle personality;

means for utilizing the created vehicle personality for one or morecommunications instead of a user's profile.

A non-transitory computer readable information storage media, havingstored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or moreprocessors cause to be performed a method for vehicle to another partycommunications comprising:

creating a vehicle personality;

utilizing the created vehicle personality for one or more communicationsinstead of a user's profile.

A system for updating one or more of software and firmware in a vehiclecomprising:

a status module adapted to determine the availability of an update tothe one or more of software and firmware; and

a message module adapted to query one or more other vehicles todetermine if they have the update; and

a vehicle firmware/software system adapted to download all or a portionof the update from the one or more other vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein the update is partially downloaded from aplurality of the one or more other vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein the update is partially updated from a centralrepository.

The above aspect, wherein the update is downloaded based on one or morerules or preferences.

The above aspect, wherein the update is downloaded based on a projectedproximity to the one or more other vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein the update is downloaded directly from the oneor more other vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein the update is sharable with one or moreadditional vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein a diagnostics module confirms the integrity ofthe update.

The above aspect, wherein the message module broadcasts the availabilityof the update to one or more additional vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein the message module confirms the update iscorrect for the vehicle.

A method for updating one or more of software and firmware in a vehiclecomprising:

determining the availability of an update to the one or more of softwareand firmware; and

querying one or more other vehicles to determine if they have theupdate; and

downloading all or a portion of the update from the one or more othervehicles.

The above aspect, wherein the update is partially downloaded from aplurality of the one or more other vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein the update is partially updated from a centralrepository.

The above aspect, wherein the update is downloaded based on one or morerules or preferences.

The above aspect, wherein the update is downloaded based on a projectedproximity to the one or more other vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein the update is downloaded directly from the oneor more other vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein the update is sharable with one or moreadditional vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein a diagnostics module confirms the integrity ofthe update.

The above aspect, wherein the message module broadcasts the availabilityof the update to one or more additional vehicles.

The above aspect, wherein the message module confirms the update iscorrect for the vehicle.

A system for updating one or more of software and firmware in a vehiclecomprising:

means for determining the availability of an update to the one or moreof software and firmware; and

means for querying one or more other vehicles to determine if they havethe update; and

means for downloading all or a portion of the update from the one ormore other vehicles.

A non-transitory computer readable information storage media, havingstored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or moreprocessors cause to be performed a method for updating one or more ofsoftware and firmware in a vehicle comprising:

determining the availability of an update to the one or more of softwareand firmware; and

querying one or more other vehicles to determine if they have theupdate; and downloading all or a portion of the update from the one ormore other vehicles.

A system for vehicle-to-vehicle communications comprising:

a social/business communications module adapted to associate informationwith one or more of another driver and another vehicle;

a message module adapted to associate the information with one or moreof a social network, a network and a navigation network.

The above aspect, wherein the message module interrogates the one or themore of the another driver and the another vehicle to obtain theiridentification.

The above aspect, wherein the message module broadcasts information tothe one or more of the another driver and the another vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein a filter is adapted to filter aninterrogation.

The above aspect, wherein one or more of an image and a video isassociated with the information.

The above aspect, wherein the information is posted to a social network,and the information is associated with the one or more of another driverand the another vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein the information is obtained from the socialnetwork about the one or more of the another driver and the anothervehicle that are in proximity and the information shown on a display.

The above aspect, wherein the information is advertising and broadcastto the one or more of the another driver and the another vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein advertising is dynamically filtered beforepresentation to a user.

The above aspect, wherein the information is a driver rating.

A method for vehicle-to-vehicle communications comprising:

associating information with one or more of another driver and anothervehicle; associating the information with one or more of a socialnetwork, a network and a navigation network.

The above aspect, wherein the message module interrogates the one or themore of the another driver and the another vehicle to obtain theiridentification.

The above aspect, wherein the message module broadcasts information tothe one or more of the another driver and the another vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein a filter is adapted to filter aninterrogation.

The above aspect, wherein one or more of an image and a video isassociated with the information.

The above aspect, wherein the information is posted to a social network,and the information is associated with the one or more of another driverand the another vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein the information is obtained from the socialnetwork about the one or more of the another driver and the anothervehicle that are in proximity and the information shown on a display.

The above aspect, wherein the information is advertising and broadcastto the one or more of the another driver and the another vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein advertising is dynamically filtered beforepresentation to a user.

The above aspect, wherein the information is a driver rating.

A system for vehicle-to-vehicle communications comprising:

means for associating information with one or more of another driver andanother vehicle;

means for associating the information with one or more of a socialnetwork, a network and a navigation network.

A non-transitory computer readable information storage media, havingstored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or moreprocessors cause to be performed a method for vehicle-to-vehiclecommunications comprising:

associating information with one or more of another driver and anothervehicle;

associating the information with one or more of a social network, anetwork and a navigation network.

A system for vehicle GPS to vehicle GPS communications comprising:

a message module in a first vehicle adapted to one or more of broadcastand post a query for navigational assistance;

a navigation subsystem adapted to analyze the query and determine if auser has information related to the query for navigational assistance;and

a message module in a second vehicle adapted to transmit the informationrelated to the query for navigational assistance.

The above aspect, wherein the query is posted on a social network.

The above aspect, wherein the analysis of the query includes determininga context of a user in the second vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein a communication session is established betweenthe first and the second vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein the transmitted information includes directioninformation that is automatically entered into a GPS system of the firstvehicle.

The above aspect, wherein the transmitted information is updated basedon one or more of weather information, traffic information and userpreference information.

The above aspect, wherein the query is one or more of broadcast andposted based on a privacy setting.

The above aspect, wherein the query is one or more of broadcast andposted to one or more known individuals.

The above aspect, wherein a GPS of the first vehicle is in communicationwith a GPS of the second vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein a GPS of the first vehicle is in communicationwith a GPS of the second vehicle to allow the second vehicle toautomatically follow the route of the first vehicle.

A method for vehicle GPS to vehicle GPS communications comprising:

one or more of broadcasting and posting from a first vehicle a query fornavigational assistance;

analyzing the query and determine if a user has information related tothe query for navigational assistance; and

transmitting, from a second vehicle, the information related to thequery for navigational assistance.

The above aspect, wherein the query is posted on a social network.

The above aspect, wherein the analysis of the query includes determininga context of a user in the second vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein a communication session is established betweenthe first and the second vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein the transmitted information includes directioninformation that is automatically entered into a GPS system of the firstvehicle.

The above aspect, wherein the transmitted information is updated basedon one or more of weather information, traffic information and userpreference information.

The above aspect, wherein the query is one or more of broadcast andposted based on a privacy setting.

The above aspect, wherein the query is one or more of broadcast andposted to one or more known individuals.

The above aspect, wherein a GPS of the first vehicle is in communicationwith a GPS of the second vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein a GPS of the first vehicle is in communicationwith a GPS of the second vehicle to allow the second vehicle toautomatically follow the route of the first vehicle.

A system for vehicle GPS to vehicle GPS communications comprising:

means for one or more of broadcasting and posting from a first vehicle aquery for navigational assistance;

means for analyzing the query and determine if a user has informationrelated to the query for navigational assistance; and

means for transmitting, from a second vehicle, the information relatedto the query for navigational assistance.

A non-transitory computer readable information storage media, havingstored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or moreprocessors cause to be performed a method for vehicle GPS to vehicle GPScommunications comprising:

one or more of broadcasting and posting from a first vehicle a query fornavigational assistance;

analyzing the query and determine if a user has information related tothe query for navigational assistance; and

transmitting, from a second vehicle, the information related to thequery for navigational assistance.

A system for communication of safety information comprising:

a sensor adapted to detect at least one road hazard;

a safety module adapted to categorize the at least one road hazard;

a navigation subsystem adapted to associate a GPS coordinate with theroad hazard; and

a message module adapted to forward information about the road hazard toone or more entities.

The above aspect, wherein the forwarding of the information is performedautomatically based on the categorization of the road hazard.

The above aspect, wherein the information is forwarded to a remotecentral repository.

The above aspect, wherein the information is forwarded to a remotecentral repository and made accessible to one or more other divers.

The above aspect, wherein the information is communicated directly toone or more other drivers based on the one or more other driver'sproximity to the road hazard.

The above aspect, wherein the road hazard is one or more of road damage,a pothole, a rough surface, an icy surface, an accident, an object onthe road, a weather condition, a broken down vehicle, an animal on theroad and road conditions.

The above aspect, wherein an image module automatically obtains one ormore of an image and a video of the road hazard.

The above aspect, wherein the information is automatically forwarded toa law enforcement agency.

The above aspect, wherein the information is pushed automatically to oneor more other vehicles and displayed on the one or more other vehicle'sdisplays.

The above aspect, wherein the information is automatically forwarded toa department of transportation.

A method for communication of safety information comprising:

detecting at least one road hazard;

categorizing the at least one road hazard;

associating a GPS coordinate with the road hazard; and

forwarding information about the road hazard to one or more entities.

The above aspect, wherein the forwarding of the information is performedautomatically based on the categorization of the road hazard.

The above aspect, wherein the information is forwarded to a remotecentral repository.

The above aspect, wherein the information is forwarded to a remotecentral repository and made accessible to one or more other divers.

The above aspect, wherein the information is communicated directly toone or more other drivers based on the one or more other driver'sproximity to the road hazard.

The above aspect, wherein the road hazard is one or more of road damage,a pothole, a rough surface, an icy surface, an accident, an object onthe road, a weather condition, a broken down vehicle, an animal on theroad and road conditions.

The above aspect, wherein an image module automatically obtains one ormore of an image and a video of the road hazard.

The above aspect, wherein the information is automatically forwarded toa law enforcement agency.

The above aspect, wherein the information is pushed automatically to oneor more other vehicles and displayed on the one or more other vehicle'sdisplays.

The above aspect, wherein the information is automatically forwarded toa department of transportation.

A system for communication of safety information comprising:

means for detecting at least one road hazard;

means for categorizing the at least one road hazard;

means for associating a GPS coordinate with the road hazard; and

means for forwarding information about the road hazard to one or moreentities.

A non-transitory computer readable information storage media, havingstored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or moreprocessors cause to be performed a method for communication of safetyinformation comprising:

detecting at least one road hazard;

categorizing the at least one road hazard;

associating a GPS coordinate with the road hazard; and

forwarding information about the road hazard to one or more entities.

A vehicle system to one or more of send and obtain one or more imagesbased on a travel route comprising:

a navigation subsystem adapted to track and provide route guidance;

an image retrieval module adapted to obtain one or more images from oneor more sources along the travel route; and

a display adapted to display one or more of the one or more obtainedimages.

The above aspect, wherein the image retrieval module obtains the one ormore images one or more of automatically, based on a user request, andbased on a notification of one or more of traffic conditions, weatherconditions, an accident and road construction.

The above aspect, wherein the image retrieval module is further adaptedto obtain video from one or more sources along the travel route.

The above aspect, wherein the vehicle system further obtains andforwards one or more of images and video to an entity.

The above aspect, wherein the one or more sources are roadside cameras,other vehicles, a traffic helicopter and a traffic plane.

The above aspect, wherein a centralized entity stores the one or moreimages from the one or more sources.

The above aspect, wherein the image retrieval module obtains the one ormore images one or more of automatically for the travel route.

The above aspect, wherein the one or more images are displayed on auser's communication device.

The above aspect, wherein the one or more images are associated with oneor more of an audible and visual alert.

The above aspect, wherein the vehicle system further obtains andforwards one or more of images and video to an entity, and the entity isa department of transportation or a law enforcement agency.

A method to one or more of send and obtain one or more images based on atravel route comprising:

tracking and providing route guidance;

obtaining one or more images from one or more sources along the travelroute; and

displaying one or more of the one or more obtained images.

The above aspect, wherein further comprising obtaining the one or moreimages one or more of automatically, based on a user request, and basedon a notification of one or more of traffic conditions, weatherconditions, an accident and road construction.

The above aspect, further comprising obtaining video from one or moresources along the travel route.

The above aspect, further comprising obtaining and forwarding one ormore of images and video to an entity.

The above aspect, wherein the one or more sources are roadside cameras,other vehicles, a traffic helicopter and a traffic plane.

The above aspect, wherein a centralized entity stores the one or moreimages from the one or more sources.

The above aspect, wherein the image retrieval module obtains the one ormore images one or more of automatically for the travel route.

The above aspect, wherein the one or more images are displayed on auser's communication device.

The above aspect, wherein the one or more images are associated with oneor more of an audible and visual alert.

The above aspect, wherein the vehicle system further obtains andforwards one or more of images and video to an entity, and the entity isa department of transportation or a law enforcement agency.

A system to one or more of send and obtain one or more images based on atravel route comprising:

means for tracking and providing route guidance;

means for obtaining one or more images from one or more sources alongthe travel route; and

means or displaying one or more of the one or more obtained images.

A non-transitory computer readable information storage media, havingstored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or moreprocessors cause to be performed a method to one or more of send andobtain one or more images based on a travel route comprising:

tracking and providing route guidance;

obtaining one or more images from one or more sources along the travelroute; and

displaying one or more of the one or more obtained images.

A vehicle alert system comprising:

an alert module adapted to detect a presence of an emergency vehicle;and

a communications device adapted to alert a driver about the presence ofthe emergency vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein the emergency vehicle transmits informationabout the emergency vehicle's intended travel route.

The above aspect, wherein the emergency vehicle transmits an emergencyvehicle presence signal.

The above aspect, wherein an image capture device detects the presenceof the emergency vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein a travel path of the emergency vehicle isdisplayed on a vehicle navigation system.

The above aspect, wherein the communications device is a user'scommunication device.

The above aspect, wherein the communications device is a user'ssmartphone.

The above aspect, wherein the alert is one or more of audible, visualand mechanical.

The above aspect, wherein the alert is displayed in a heads-up displayof the vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein the alert module receives a signal from one ormore vehicle sensors regarding the presence of an emergency vehicle.

A vehicle alert method comprising:

detecting a presence of an emergency vehicle; and

alerting a driver about the presence of the emergency vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein the emergency vehicle transmits informationabout the emergency vehicle's intended travel route.

The above aspect, wherein the emergency vehicle transmits an emergencyvehicle presence signal.

The above aspect, wherein an image capture device detects the presenceof the emergency vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein a travel path of the emergency vehicle isdisplayed on a vehicle navigation system.

The above aspect, wherein the communications device is a user'scommunication device.

The above aspect, wherein the communications device is a user'ssmartphone.

The above aspect, wherein the alert is one or more of audible, visualand mechanical.

The above aspect, wherein the alert is displayed in a heads-up displayof the vehicle.

The above aspect, wherein the alert module receives a signal from one ormore vehicle sensors regarding the presence of an emergency vehicle.

A vehicle alert system comprising:

means for detecting a presence of an emergency vehicle; and

means for alerting a driver about the presence of the emergency vehicle.

A non-transitory computer readable information storage media, havingstored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or moreprocessors cause to be performed a vehicle alert method comprising:

detecting a presence of an emergency vehicle; and

alerting a driver about the presence of the emergency vehicle.

A vehicle-based individual presence determination system comprising:

one or more vehicle sensors;

a presence detection module that analyses a signal from the one or morevehicle sensors to determine the presence of an individual anddetermines whether the individual is a known individual.

The above aspect, wherein a determination is made as to whether acollision is possible between the vehicle and the individual.

The above aspect, wherein an alert is communicated to the individualregarding a possible collision.

The above aspect, wherein the presence detection module further receivesspecial information from the individual.

The above aspect, wherein the special information is one or more of ahandicap, an identification and a profile.

The above aspect, wherein one or more rules alter an operation of thepresence detection module when the individual is the known individual.

The above aspect, wherein a display is populated with presenceinformation and an icon representing the individual shown on thedisplay.

The above aspect, wherein whether the individual is a known individualis based on stored profile information.

The above aspect, wherein the stored profile information is stored inone or more of the vehicle and a user's communication device.

The above aspect, wherein a privacy filter filters information exchangedbetween the vehicle and the individual.

A vehicle-based individual presence determination method comprising:

analyzing a signal from the one or more vehicle sensors to determine thepresence of an individual; and

determining whether the individual is a known individual.

The above aspect, wherein a determination is made as to whether acollision is possible between the vehicle and the individual.

The above aspect, wherein an alert is communicated to the individualregarding a possible collision.

The above aspect, wherein a presence detection module further receivesspecial information from the individual.

The above aspect, wherein the special information is one or more of ahandicap, an identification and a profile.

The above aspect, wherein one or more rules alter an operation of thepresence detection module when the individual is the known individual.

The above aspect, wherein a display is populated with presenceinformation and an icon representing the individual shown on thedisplay.

The above aspect, wherein whether the individual is a known individualis based on stored profile information.

The above aspect, wherein the stored profile information is stored inone or more of the vehicle and a user's communication device.

The above aspect, wherein a privacy filter filters information exchangedbetween the vehicle and the individual.

A vehicle-based individual presence determination system comprising:

means for analyzing a signal from the one or more vehicle sensors todetermine the presence of an individual; and

means for determining whether the individual is a known individual.

A non-transitory computer readable information storage media, havingstored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or moreprocessors cause to be performed a vehicle-based individual presencedetermination method comprising:

analyzing a signal from the one or more vehicle sensors to determine thepresence of an individual; and

determining whether the individual is a known individual.

An infant health monitoring system in a vehicle comprising:

one or more sensors;

an infant profile; and

an infant monitoring module, the infant monitoring module evaluatinginformation from the one or more sensors and providing statusinformation about the infant to a user.

The above aspect, wherein the user is one or more of a vehicle driver, avehicle passenger and one or more persons at a remote location.

The above aspect, wherein the remote location is a home.

The above aspect, wherein a prediction module cooperates with the infantprofile to predict supply usage for a trip.

The above aspect, wherein a prediction module cooperates with anadvertising module to forward advertising information to one or moreusers.

The above aspect, wherein an application monitors the infant.

The above aspect, the one or more sensors include biometric sensors, amicrophone, a camera, a video camera, a diaper sensor and a wearablesensor.

The above aspect, wherein the providing of status information is variedbased on whether the infant is awake.

The above aspect, wherein one or more of an image and a videoaccompanies the status information.

The above aspect, wherein a context is determined and forwarded with thestatus information to a remote location.

An in-vehicle infant health monitoring method comprising:

evaluating information from one or more sensors associated with theinfant; and

providing status information about the infant to a user.

The above aspect, wherein the user is one or more of a vehicle driver, avehicle passenger and one or more persons at a remote location.

The above aspect, wherein the remote location is a home.

The above aspect, wherein a prediction module cooperates with the infantprofile to predict supply usage for a trip.

The above aspect, wherein a prediction module cooperates with anadvertising module to forward advertising information to one or moreusers.

The above aspect, wherein the status information is provided one or moreof audibly and visually to a user.

The above aspect, the one or more sensors include biometric sensors, amicrophone, a camera, a video camera, a diaper sensor and a wearablesensor.

The above aspect, wherein the providing of status information is variedbased on whether the infant is awake.

The above aspect, wherein one or more of an image and a videoaccompanies the status information.

The above aspect, wherein a context is determined and forwarded with thestatus information to a remote location.

An in-vehicle infant health monitoring system comprising:

means for evaluating information from one or more sensors associatedwith the infant; and

means for providing status information about the infant to a user.

A non-transitory computer readable information storage media, havingstored thereon instructions, that when executed by one or moreprocessors cause to be performed an in-vehicle infant health monitoringmethod comprising:

evaluating information from one or more sensors associated with theinfant; and

providing status information about the infant to a user.

Embodiments include an emergency vehicle alert system, comprising: analert module of a vehicle configured to detect a signal emitted by atleast one emergency signaling entity, wherein the alert module isconfigured to analyze the detected signal for signal information andidentify the detected signal as an emergency signal when the signalinformation of the detected signal includes information corresponding toat least one emergency; and a communication device associated with thevehicle and configured to present an alert to notify a user of thevehicle of the at least one emergency. Aspects of the above systeminclude wherein the alert includes at least one alert type comprisingone or more of a visual, acoustic, and haptic notification. Aspects ofthe above system include wherein analyzing the detected signal forsignal information further comprises: determining characteristics of thedetected signal over time; and comparing the determined characteristicsof the detected signal to one or more signal profiles stored in memory,wherein each signal profile of the one or more signal profiles isassociated with at least one of a signal source and emergency eventtype. Aspects of the above system include wherein the signal emitted bythe at least one emergency signaling entity is a return signal inresponse to a radar signal sent by the vehicle. Aspects of the abovesystem include wherein presenting the alert to the communication deviceassociated with the vehicle is based at least partially on userpreferences stored in memory and associated with the user. Aspects ofthe above system include wherein the signal emitted by the at least oneemergency signaling entity is a wireless communication signal, andwherein analyzing the detected signal for signal information furthercomprises: analyzing the wireless communication signal for signalinformation included in a payload of a packet associated with thewireless communication signal. Aspects of the above system includewherein the wireless communication signal includes at least one ofvehicle control instructions, location information of the emergencyvehicle relative to the vehicle, destination information of theemergency vehicle, and an estimated time of arrival of the emergencyvehicle. Aspects of the above system further comprise determiningwhether the user of the vehicle has acknowledged the alert presented tothe communication device, wherein determining whether the user of thevehicle has acknowledged the alert presented to the communication devicefurther comprises: detecting an input provided by the user in responseto the alert being presented; determining whether the input provided bythe user corresponds to a required acknowledgment of the alert asdefined by rules stored in memory; providing an affirmative output thatthe user has acknowledged the alert when the input provided by the usercorresponds to the required acknowledgment of the alert; and providing anegative output that the user has failed to acknowledge the alert whenthe input provided by the user fails to correspond to the requiredacknowledgment of the alert; presenting, when it is determined that theuser of the vehicle has failed to acknowledge the alert presented to thecommunication device, a subsequent alert to the communication deviceassociated with the vehicle, wherein the subsequent alert includes amodification to at least one of the alert type, an intensity associatedwith the alert type, and a number of the alert types presented to thecommunication device. Aspects of the above system further comprise: acontroller configured to control a feature of the vehicle, wherein thefeature of the vehicle includes at least one of a navigation feature, amedia subsystem, an engine control, a steering control, and a geartransmission control.

Embodiments include a method, comprising: detecting, by an alert moduleof a vehicle, an acoustic signal generated by an emergency signalingentity; analyzing characteristics of the acoustic signal, wherein thecharacteristics include signal information associated with the acousticsignal over a period of time; comparing the characteristics of theacoustic signal with characteristics of one or more stored signalprofiles, wherein each of the one or more stored signal profiles isassociated with a specific emergency definition; determining whether amatch exists between the characteristics of the acoustic signal and thecharacteristics of one or more stored signal profiles; presenting, whenthe match exists, an alert to a communication device of the vehicle tonotify a user of the vehicle about the acoustic signal, wherein thepresentation of the alert includes at least one of playing a soundcorresponding to the acoustic signal detected, providing informationabout the acoustic signal detected, and providing the specific emergencydefinition associated with the matching signal profile.

Embodiments include an emergency vehicle alert method, comprising:detecting, by an alert module of a vehicle, a signal emitted by at leastone emergency signaling entity; analyzing the detected signal for signalinformation; identifying the detected signal as an emergency signal whenthe signal information of the detected signal includes informationcorresponding to at least one emergency; and presenting an alert to acommunication device associated with the vehicle, wherein the alert isconfigured to notify a user of the vehicle about the at least oneemergency. Aspects of the above method include wherein the alertincludes at least one alert type comprising one or more of a visual,acoustic, and haptic notification. Aspects of the above method includewherein analyzing the detected signal for signal information furthercomprises: determining characteristics of the detected signal over time;and comparing the determined characteristics of the detected signal toone or more signal profiles stored in memory, wherein each signalprofile of the one or more signal profiles is associated with at leastone of a signal source and emergency event type. Aspects of the abovemethod include wherein the signal emitted by the at least one emergencysignaling entity is a return signal in response to a radar signal sentby the vehicle. Aspects of the above method include wherein presentingthe alert to the communication device associated with the vehicle isbased at least partially on user preferences stored in memory andassociated with the user. Aspects of the above method include whereinthe signal emitted by the at least one emergency signaling entity is awireless communication signal, and wherein analyzing the detected signalfor signal information further comprises: analyzing the wirelesscommunication signal for signal information included in a payload of apacket associated with the wireless communication signal. Aspects of theabove method include wherein the wireless communication signal includesat least one of vehicle control instructions, location information ofthe emergency vehicle relative to the vehicle, destination informationof the emergency vehicle, and an estimated time of arrival of theemergency vehicle. Aspects of the above method further comprise:determining whether the user of the vehicle has acknowledged the alertpresented to the communication device; and presenting, when it isdetermined that the user of the vehicle has failed to acknowledge thealert presented to the communication device, a subsequent alert to thecommunication device associated with the vehicle, wherein the subsequentalert includes a modification to at least one of the alert type, anintensity associated with the alert type, and a number of the alerttypes presented to the communication device. Aspects of the above methodinclude wherein determining whether the user of the vehicle hasacknowledged the alert presented to the communication device furthercomprises: detecting an input provided by the user in response to thealert being presented; determining whether the input provided by theuser corresponds to a required acknowledgment of the alert as defined byrules stored in memory; providing an affirmative output that the userhas acknowledged the alert when the input provided by the usercorresponds to the required acknowledgment of the alert; and providing anegative output that the user has failed to acknowledge the alert whenthe input provided by the user fails to correspond to the requiredacknowledgment of the alert. Aspects of the above method include whereinthe input provided by the user fails to correspond to the requiredacknowledgment of the alert, the method further comprising: controllinga feature of the vehicle, wherein the feature of the vehicle includes atleast one of a navigation feature, a media subsystem, an engine control,a steering control, and a gear transmission control.

The present disclosure can provide a number of advantages depending onthe particular aspect, embodiment, and/or configuration. These and otheradvantages will be apparent from the disclosure.

The phrases “at least one,” “one or more,” and “and/or” are open-endedexpressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. Forexample, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C,” “at leastone of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B,or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and Btogether, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.

The term “a” or “an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. Assuch, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more,” and “at least one” can beused interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms“comprising,” “including,” and “having” can be used interchangeably.

The term “automatic” and variations thereof, as used herein, refer toany process or operation done without material human input when theprocess or operation is performed. However, a process or operation canbe automatic, even though performance of the process or operation usesmaterial or immaterial human input, if the input is received before theperformance of the process or operation. Human input is deemed to bematerial if such input influences how the process or operation will beperformed. Human input that consents to the performance of the processor operation is not deemed to be “material.”

The term “automotive navigation system” can refer to a satellitenavigation system designed for use in vehicles. It typically uses a GPSnavigation device to acquire position data to locate the user on a roadin the unit's map database. Using the road database, the unit can givedirections to other locations along roads also in its database. Deadreckoning using distance data from sensors attached to the drivetrain, agyroscope and an accelerometer can be used for greater reliability, asGPS signal loss and/or multipath can occur due to urban canyons ortunnels.

The term “bus” and variations thereof, as used herein, can refer to asubsystem that transfers information and/or data between variouscomponents. A bus generally refers to the collection communicationhardware interface, interconnects, bus architecture, standard, and/orprotocol defining the communication scheme for a communication systemand/or communication network. A bus may also refer to a part of acommunication hardware that interfaces the communication hardware withthe interconnects that connect to other components of the correspondingcommunication network. The bus may be for a wired network, such as aphysical bus, or wireless network, such as part of an antenna orhardware that couples the communication hardware with the antenna. A busarchitecture supports a defined format in which information and/or datais arranged when sent and received through a communication network. Aprotocol may define the format and rules of communication of a busarchitecture.

The terms “communication device,” “smartphone,” and “mobile device,” andvariations thereof, as used herein, can be used interchangeably and mayinclude any type of device capable of communicating with one or more ofanother device and/or across a communications network, via acommunications protocol, and the like. Exemplary communication devicesmay include but are not limited to smartphones, handheld computers,laptops, netbooks, notebook computers, subnotebooks, tablet computers,scanners, portable gaming devices, phones, pagers, GPS modules, portablemusic players, and other Internet-enabled and/or network-connecteddevices.

A “communication modality” can refer to any protocol- or standarddefined or specific communication session or interaction, such asVoice-Over-Internet-Protocol (“VoIP), cellular communications (e.g.,IS-95, 1G, 2G, 3G, 3.5G, 4G, 4G/IMT-Advanced standards, 3GPP, WIMAX™,GSM, CDMA, CDMA2000, EDGE, 1xEVDO, iDEN, GPRS, HSPDA, TDMA, UMA, UMTS,ITU-R, and 5G), Bluetooth™, text or instant messaging (e.g., AIM, Blauk,eBuddy, Gadu-Gadu, IBM Lotus Sametime, ICQ, iMessage, IMVU, Lync, MXit,Paltalk, Skype, Tencent QQ, Windows Live Messenger™ or MSN Messenger™,Wireclub, Xfire, and Yahoo! Messenger™), email, Twitter (e.g.,tweeting), Digital Service Protocol (DSP), and the like.

The term “communication system” or “communication network” andvariations thereof, as used herein, can refer to a collection ofcommunication components capable of one or more of transmission, relay,interconnect, control, or otherwise manipulate information or data fromat least one transmitter to at least one receiver. As such, thecommunication may include a range of systems supporting point-to-pointor broadcasting of the information or data. A communication system mayrefer to the collection individual communication hardware as well as theinterconnects associated with and connecting the individualcommunication hardware. Communication hardware may refer to dedicatedcommunication hardware or may refer a processor coupled with acommunication means (i.e., an antenna) and running software capable ofusing the communication means to send and/or receive a signal within thecommunication system. Interconnect refers some type of wired or wirelesscommunication link that connects various components, such ascommunication hardware, within a communication system. A communicationnetwork may refer to a specific setup of a communication system with thecollection of individual communication hardware and interconnects havingsome definable network topography. A communication network may includewired and/or wireless network having a pre-set to an ad hoc networkstructure.

The term “computer-readable medium,” as used herein refers to anytangible storage and/or transmission medium that participates inproviding instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium maytake many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media,volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, forexample, non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), or magnetic oroptical disks. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as mainmemory. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, afloppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any othermagnetic medium, magneto-optical medium, a compact disc read only memory(CD-ROM), any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any otherphysical medium with patterns of holes, a random access memory (RAM), aprogrammable read only memory (PROM), and erasable programmable readonly memory EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, a solid state medium like a memorycard, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave as describedhereinafter, or any other medium from which a computer can read. Adigital file attachment to an e-mail or other self-contained informationarchive or set of archives is considered a distribution mediumequivalent to a tangible storage medium. When the computer-readablemedia is configured as a database, it is to be understood that thedatabase may be any type of database, such as relational, hierarchical,object-oriented, and/or the like. Accordingly, the disclosure isconsidered to include a tangible storage medium or distribution mediumand prior art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations of the present disclosure are stored. It shouldbe noted that any computer readable medium that is not a signaltransmission may be considered non-transitory.

The terms dash and dashboard and variations thereof, as used herein, maybe used interchangeably and can be any panel and/or area of a vehicledisposed adjacent to an operator, user, and/or passenger. Dashboards mayinclude, but are not limited to, one or more control panel(s),instrument housing(s), head unit(s), indicator(s), gauge(s), meter(s),light(s), audio equipment, computer(s), screen(s), display(s), HUDunit(s), and graphical user interface(s).

The term “module” as used herein refers to any known or later developedhardware, software, firmware, artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic, orcombination of hardware and software that is capable of performing thefunctionality associated with that element.

The term “desktop” refers to a metaphor used to portray systems. Adesktop is generally considered a “surface” that may include pictures,called icons, widgets, folders, etc. that can activate and/or showapplications, windows, cabinets, files, folders, documents, and othergraphical items. The icons are generally selectable to initiate a taskthrough user interface interaction to allow a user to executeapplications and/or conduct other operations.

The term “display” refers to a portion of a physical screen used todisplay the output of a computer to a user.

The term “displayed image” refers to an image produced on the display. Atypical displayed image is a window or desktop. The displayed image mayoccupy all or a portion of the display.

The term “display orientation” refers to the way in which a rectangulardisplay is oriented for viewing. The two most common types of displayorientations are portrait and landscape. In landscape mode, the displayis oriented such that the width of the display is greater than theheight of the display (such as a 4:3 ratio, which is 4 units wide and 3units tall, or a 16:9 ratio, which is 16 units wide and 9 units tall).Stated differently, the longer dimension of the display is orientedsubstantially horizontal in landscape mode while the shorter dimensionof the display is oriented substantially vertical. In the portrait mode,by contrast, the display is oriented such that the width of the displayis less than the height of the display. Stated differently, the shorterdimension of the display is oriented substantially horizontal in theportrait mode while the longer dimension of the display is orientedsubstantially vertical. A multi-screen display can have one compositedisplay that encompasses all the screens. The composite display can havedifferent display characteristics based on the various orientations ofthe device.

The term “electronic address” can refer to any contactable address,including a telephone number, instant message handle, e-mail address,Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”), Global Universal Identifier (“GUID”),Universal Resource Identifier (“URI”), Address of Record (“AOR”),electronic alias in a database, etc., combinations thereof.

The term “gesture” refers to a user action that expresses an intendedidea, action, meaning, result, and/or outcome. The user action caninclude manipulating a device (e.g., opening or closing a device,changing a device orientation, moving a trackball or wheel, etc.),movement of a body part in relation to the device, movement of animplement or tool in relation to the device, audio inputs, etc. Agesture may be made on a device (such as on the screen) or with thedevice to interact with the device.

The term “gesture capture” refers to a sense or otherwise a detection ofan instance and/or type of user gesture. The gesture capture can bereceived by sensors in three-dimensional space. Further, the gesturecapture can occur in one or more areas of a screen, for example, on atouch-sensitive display or a gesture capture region. A gesture regioncan be on the display, where it may be referred to as a touch sensitivedisplay, or off the display, where it may be referred to as a gesturecapture area.

The terms “infotainment” and “infotainment system” may be usedinterchangeably and can refer to the hardware/software products, data,content, information, and/or systems, which can be built into or addedto vehicles to enhance driver and/or passenger experience. Infotainmentmay provide media and/or multimedia content. An example isinformation-based media content or programming that also includesentertainment content.

A “multi-screen application” refers to an application that is capable ofproducing one or more windows that may simultaneously occupy one or morescreens. A multi-screen application commonly can operate insingle-screen mode in which one or more windows of the application aredisplayed only on one screen or in multi-screen mode in which one ormore windows are displayed simultaneously on multiple screens.

A “single-screen application” refers to an application that is capableof producing one or more windows that may occupy only a single screen ata time.

The terms “online community,” “e-community,” or “virtual community” canmean a group of people that interact via a computer network, for social,professional, educational, and/or other purposes. The interaction canuse a variety of media formats, including wikis, blogs, chat rooms,Internet forums, instant messaging, email, and other forms of electronicmedia. Many media formats may be used in social software separatelyand/or in combination, including text-based chat rooms and forums thatuse voice, video text or avatars.

The term “satellite positioning system receiver” can refer to a wirelessreceiver or transceiver to receive and/or send location signals fromand/or to a satellite positioning system (SPS), such as the GlobalPositioning System (“GPS”) (US), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo positioningsystem (EU), Compass navigation system (China), and RegionalNavigational Satellite System (India).

The term “social network service” may include a service provider thatbuilds online communities of people, who share interests and/oractivities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and/oractivities of others. Social network services can be network-based andmay provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as e-mail andinstant messaging services.

The term “social network” can refer to a network-based social network.

The term “screen,” “touch screen,” “touchscreen,” or “touch-sensitivedisplay” refers to a physical structure that enables the user tointeract with the computer by touching areas on the screen and providesinformation to a user through a display. The touch screen may sense usercontact in a number of different ways, such as by a change in anelectrical parameter (e.g., resistance or capacitance), acoustic wavevariations, infrared radiation proximity detection, light variationdetection, and the like. In a resistive touch screen, for example,normally separated conductive and resistive metallic layers in thescreen pass an electrical current. When a user touches the screen, thetwo layers make contact in the contacted location, whereby a change inelectrical field is noted and the coordinates of the contacted locationcalculated. In a capacitive touch screen, a capacitive layer storeselectrical charge, which is discharged to the user upon contact with thetouch screen, causing a decrease in the charge of the capacitive layer.The decrease is measured, and the contacted location coordinatesdetermined. In a surface acoustic wave touch screen, an acoustic wave istransmitted through the screen, and the acoustic wave is disturbed byuser contact. A receiving transducer detects the user contact instanceand determines the contacted location coordinates.

The term “window” refers to a, typically rectangular, displayed image onat least part of a display that contains or provides content differentfrom the rest of the screen. The window may obscure the desktop. Thedimensions and orientation of the window may be configurable either byanother module or by a user. When the window is expanded, the window canoccupy substantially all of the display space on a screen or screens.

The terms “determine,” “calculate,” and “compute,” and variationsthereof, as used herein, are used interchangeably and include any typeof methodology, process, mathematical operation, or technique.

It shall be understood that the term “means,” as used herein, shall begiven its broadest possible interpretation in accordance with 35 U.S.C.,Section 112, Paragraph 6 or other applicable law. Accordingly, a claimincorporating the term “means” shall cover all structures, materials, oracts set forth herein, and all of the equivalents thereof. Further, thestructures, materials or acts and the equivalents thereof shall includeall those described in the summary of the invention, brief descriptionof the drawings, detailed description, abstract, and claims themselves.

The terms “vehicle,” “car,” “automobile,” and variations thereof may beused interchangeably herein and can refer to a device or structure fortransporting animate and/or inanimate or tangible objects (e.g., personsand/or things), such as a self-propelled conveyance. A vehicle as usedherein can include any conveyance or model of a conveyance, where theconveyance was originally designed for the purpose of moving one or moretangible objects, such as people, animals, cargo, and the like. The term“vehicle” does not require that a conveyance moves or is capable ofmovement. Typical vehicles may include but are in no way limited tocars, trucks, motorcycles, busses, automobiles, trains, railedconveyances, boats, ships, marine conveyances, submarine conveyances,airplanes, space craft, flying machines, human-powered conveyances, andthe like.

The term “profile,” as used herein, can refer to any data structure,data store, and/or database that includes one or more items ofinformation associated with a vehicle, a vehicle system, a device (e.g.,a mobile device, laptop, mobile phone, etc.), or a person.

The term “in communication with,” as used herein, refers to anycoupling, connection, or interaction using electrical signals toexchange information or data, using any system, hardware, software,protocol, or format, regardless of whether the exchange occurswirelessly or over a wired connection.

The preceding is a simplified summary of the disclosure to provide anunderstanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is neitheran extensive nor exhaustive overview of the disclosure and its variousaspects, embodiments, and/or configurations. It is intended neither toidentify key or critical elements of the disclosure nor to delineate thescope of the disclosure but to present selected concepts of thedisclosure in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detaileddescription presented below. As will be appreciated, other aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations of the disclosure are possibleutilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features setforth above or described in detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of a vehicle operating environment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle system;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle control systemenvironment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle communicationssubsystem;

FIG. 5A is a first block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle interiorenvironment separated into areas and/or zones;

FIG. 5B is a second block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle interiorenvironment separated into areas and/or zones;

FIG. 5C is a third block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle interiorenvironment separated into areas and/or zones;

FIG. 6A depicts an embodiment of a sensor configuration for a vehicle;

FIG. 6B depicts an embodiment of a sensor configuration for a zone of avehicle;

FIG. 7A is a block diagram of an embodiment of interior sensors for avehicle;

FIG. 7B is a block diagram of an embodiment of exterior sensors for avehicle;

FIG. 8A is a block diagram of an embodiment of a media subsystem for avehicle;

FIG. 8B is a block diagram of an embodiment of a user and deviceinteraction subsystem for a vehicle;

FIG. 8C is a block diagram of an embodiment of a Navigation subsystemfor a vehicle;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a communications subsystemfor a vehicle;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a software architecturefor the vehicle control system;

FIG. 11A is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11B is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11C is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11D is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11E is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11F is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11G is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11H is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11I is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11J is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 11K is a graphical representation of an embodiment of a gesturethat a user may perform to provide input to a vehicle control system;

FIG. 12A is a diagram of an embodiment of a data structure for storinginformation about a user of a vehicle;

FIG. 12B is a diagram of an embodiment of a data structure for storinginformation about a device associated with or in a vehicle;

FIG. 12C is a diagram of an embodiment of a data structure for storinginformation about a system of a vehicle;

FIG. 12D is a diagram of an embodiment of a data structure for storinginformation about a vehicle;

FIG. 13 is a flow or process diagram of a method for storing one or moresettings associated with a user;

FIG. 14 is a flow or process diagram of a method for establishing one ormore settings associated with a user;

FIG. 15 is a flow or process diagram of a method for storing one or moresettings associated with a user;

FIG. 16 is a flow or process diagram of a method for storing one or moregestures associated with a user;

FIG. 17 is a flow or process diagram of a method for reacting to agesture performed by a user;

FIG. 18 is a flow or process diagram of a method for storing health dataassociated with a user;

FIG. 19 is a flow or process diagram of a method for reacting to agesture performed by a user;

FIG. 20 illustrates an exemplary user/device interaction subsystem;

FIG. 21 illustrates an exemplary software/firmware update subsystem;

FIG. 22 illustrates an exemplary safety and messaging subsystem;

FIG. 23 illustrates an exemplary presence detection and infantmonitoring subsystem;

FIG. 24 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of virtualpersonality management;

FIG. 25 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method forsoftware/firmware updating and sharing;

FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method forinter-vehicle communications and dangerous situation alerting;

FIG. 27 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for exchangingGPS information and/or directions;

FIG. 28 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for conditionreporting;

FIG. 29 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for emergencyvehicle notifications;

FIG. 30 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for findingparking spaces;

FIG. 31 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for toll roadmanagement;

FIG. 32 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for presencedetection and object/person avoidance and notifications;

FIG. 33 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for infantmonitoring;

FIG. 34A is a graphical representation of a signal profile associatedwith a first type of emergency signal in accordance with embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 34B is a graphical representation of a signal profile associatedwith a second type of emergency signal in accordance with embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 34C is a graphical representation of a signal profile associatedwith a third type of emergency signal in accordance with embodiments ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 34D is a graphical representation of a detected signal profile anda stored signal profile associate with a type of emergency signal inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 35 is a flow or process diagram of a method for presenting signalinformation to a device associated with a vehicle;

FIG. 36 is a flow or process diagram of a method for automaticallydetermining a presentation order for signal information alerts;

FIG. 37 is an embodiment of a data structure for storing emergencysignal information; and

FIG. 38 is a block diagram of signal communications system in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure.

In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have thesame reference label. Further, various components of the same type maybe distinguished by following the reference label by a letter thatdistinguishes among the similar components. If only the first referencelabel is used in the specification, the description is applicable to anyone of the similar components having the same first reference labelirrespective of the second reference letter or label.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Presented herein are embodiments of systems, devices, processes, datastructures, user interfaces, etc. The embodiments may relate to anautomobile and/or an automobile environment. The automobile environmentcan include systems associated with the automobile and devices or othersystems in communication with the automobile and/or automobile systems.Furthermore, the systems can relate to communications systems and/ordevices and may be capable of communicating with other devices and/or toan individual or group of individuals. Further, the systems can receiveuser input in unique ways. The overall design and functionality of thesystems provide for an enhanced user experience making the automobilemore useful and more efficient. As described herein, the automobilesystems may be electrical, mechanical, electro-mechanical,software-based, and/or combinations thereof.

A vehicle environment 100 that may contain a vehicle ecosystem is shownin FIG. 1. The vehicle environment 100 can contain areas associated witha vehicle or conveyance 104. The vehicle 104 is shown as a car but canbe any type of conveyance. The environment 100 can include at leastthree zones. A first zone 108 may be inside a vehicle 104. The zone 108includes any interior space, trunk space, engine compartment, or otherassociated space within or associated with the vehicle 104. The interiorzone 108 can be defined by one or more techniques, for example,geo-fencing.

A second zone 112 may be delineated by line 120. The zone 112 is createdby a range of one or more sensors associated with the vehicle 104. Thus,the area 112 is exemplary of the range of those sensors and what can bedetected by those sensors associated with the vehicle 104. Althoughsensor range is shown as a fixed and continuous oval, the sensor rangemay be dynamic and/or discontinuous. For example, a ranging sensor(e.g., radar, lidar, ladar, etc.) may provide a variable range dependingon output power, signal characteristics, or environmental conditions(e.g., rain, fog, clear, etc.). The rest of the environment includes allspace beyond the range of the sensors and is represented by space 116.Thus, the environment 100 may have an area 116 that includes all areasbeyond the sensor range 112. The area 116 may include locations oftravel that the vehicle 104 may proceed to in the future.

An embodiment of a vehicle system 200 is shown in FIG. 2. The vehiclesystem 200 may comprise hardware and/or software that conduct variousoperations for or with the vehicle 104. The operations can include, butare not limited to, providing information to the user 216, receivinginput from the user 216, and controlling the functions or operation ofthe vehicle 104, etc. The vehicle system 200 can include a vehiclecontrol system 204. The vehicle control system 204 can be any type ofcomputing system operable to conduct the operations as described herein.An example of a vehicle control system may be as described inconjunction with FIG. 3.

The vehicle control system 204 may interact with a memory or storagesystem 208 that stores system data. System data 208 may be any type ofdata needed for the vehicle control system 204 to control effectivelythe vehicle 104. The system data 208 can represent any type of databaseor other storage system. Thus, the system data 208 can be a flat filedata system, an object-oriented data system, or some other data systemthat may interface with the vehicle control system 204.

The vehicle control system 204 may communicate with a device or userinterface 212, 248. The user interface 212, 248 may be operable toreceive user input either through touch input, on one or more userinterface buttons, via voice command, via one or more image sensors, orthrough a graphical user interface that may include a gesture captureregion, as described in conjunction with the other figures providedherein. Further, the symbol 212, 248 can represent a device that islocated or associated with the vehicle 104. The device 212, 248 can be amobile device, including, but not limited to, a mobile telephone, amobile computer, or other type of computing system or device that iseither permanently located in or temporarily associated with, but notnecessarily connected to, the vehicle 104. Thus, the vehicle controlsystem 204 can interface with the device 212, 248 and leverage thedevice's computing capability to provide one or more of the features orfunctions as described herein.

The device or user interface 212, 248 can receive input or provideinformation to a user 216. The user 216 may thus interact with thevehicle control system 204 through the interface or device 212, 248.Further, the device 212, 248 may include or have access to device data220 and/or profile data 252. The device data 220 can be any type of datathat is used in conjunction with the device 212, 248 including, but notlimited to, multimedia data, preferences data, device identificationinformation, or other types of data. The profile data 252 can be anytype of data associated with at least one user 216 including, but in noway limited to, bioinformatics, medical information, driving history,personal information (e.g., home physical address, business physicaladdress, contact addresses, likes, dislikes, hobbies, size, weight,occupation, business contacts—including physical and/or electronicaddresses, personal contacts—including physical and/or electronicaddresses, family members, and personal information related thereto,etc.), other user characteristics, advertising information, usersettings and feature preferences, travel information, associated vehiclepreferences, communication preferences, historical information (e.g.,including historical, current, and/or future travel destinations),Internet browsing history, or other types of data. In any event, thedata may be stored as device data 220 and/or profile data 252 in astorage system similar to that described in conjunction with FIGS. 12Athrough 12D.

As an example, the profile data 252 may include one or more userprofiles. User profiles may be generated based on data gathered from oneor more of vehicle preferences (e.g., seat settings, HVAC settings, dashconfigurations, and the like), recorded settings, geographic locationinformation (e.g., provided by a satellite positioning system (e.g.,GPS), Wi-Fi hotspot, cell tower data, etc.), mobile device information(such as mobile device electronic addresses, Internet browsing historyand content, application store selections, user settings and enabled anddisabled features, and the like), private information (such as userinformation from a social network, user presence information, userbusiness account, and the like), secure data, biometric information,audio information from on board microphones, video information from onboard cameras, Internet browsing history and browsed content using an onboard computer and/or the local area network enabled by the vehicle 104,geographic location information (e.g., a vendor storefront, roadwayname, city name, etc.), and the like.

The profile data 252 may include one or more user accounts. Useraccounts may include access and permissions to one or more settingsand/or feature preferences associated with the vehicle 104,communications, infotainment, content, etc. In one example, a useraccount may allow access to certain settings for a particular user,while another user account may deny access to the settings for anotheruser, and vice versa. The access controlled by the user account may bebased on at least one of a user account priority, role, permission, age,family status, a group priority (e.g., the user account priority of oneor more users, etc.), a group age (e.g., the average age of users in thegroup, a minimum age of the users in the group, a maximum age of theusers in the group, and/or combinations thereof, etc.).

For example, a user 216 may be allowed to purchase applications (e.g.,software, etc.) for the vehicle 104 and/or a device associated with thevehicle 104 based on information associated with the user account. Thisuser account information may include a preferred payment method,permissions, and/or other account information. As provided herein, theuser account information may be part of the user profile and/or otherdata stored in the profile data 252.

As another example, an adult user (e.g., a user with an age of 18 yearsold and/or over, etc.) may be located in an area of a vehicle 104, suchas a rear passenger area. Continuing this example a child user (e.g., auser with an age of 17 years old and/or less, etc.) may be located inthe same, or close, area. In this example, the user account informationin the profile data 252 associated with both the adult user and thechild user may be used by the vehicle 104 in determining whether contentis appropriate for the area given the age of the child user. Forinstance, a graphic movie containing violence (e.g., a movie associatedwith a mature rating, such as a Motion Picture Association of America(MPAA) rating of “R,” “NC-17,” etc.) may be suitable to present to adisplay device associated with the adult user but may not be acceptableto present to the display device if a 12-year old child user may seeand/or hear the content of the movie.

The vehicle control system 204 may also communicate with or through acommunication network 224. The communication network 224 can representany type of wireless and/or wired communication system that may beincluded within the vehicle 104 or operable to communicate outside thevehicle 104. Thus, the communication network 224 can include a localarea communication capability and a wide area communication capability.For example, the communication network 224 can include a Bluetooth®wireless system, an 802.11x (e.g., 802.11G/802.11N/802.11AC, or thelike, wireless system), a CAN bus, an Ethernet network within thevehicle 104, or other types of communication networks that may functionwith or be associated with the vehicle 104. Further, the communicationnetwork 224 can also include wide area communication capabilities,including one or more of, but not limited to, a cellular communicationcapability, satellite telephone communication capability, a wirelesswide area network communication capability, or other types ofcommunication capabilities that allow for the vehicle control system 204to communicate outside the vehicle 104.

The vehicle control system 204 may communicate through the communicationnetwork 224 to a server 228 that may be located in a facility that isnot within physical proximity to the vehicle 104. Thus, the server 228may represent a cloud computing system or cloud storage that allows thevehicle control system 204 to either gain access to further computingcapabilities or to storage at a location outside of the vehicle 104. Theserver 228 can include a computer processor and memory and be similar toany computing system as understood to one skilled in the art.

Further, the server 228 may be associated with stored data 232. Thestored data 232 may be stored in any system or by any method, asdescribed in conjunction with system data 208, device data 220, and/orprofile data 252. The stored data 232 can include information that maybe associated with one or more users 216 or associated with one or morevehicles 104. The stored data 232, being stored in a cloud or in adistant facility, may be exchanged among vehicles 104 or may be used bya user 216 in different locations or with different vehicles 104.Additionally or alternatively, the server may be associated with profiledata 252 as provided herein. It is anticipated that the profile data 252may be accessed across the communication network 224 by one or morecomponents of the system 200. Similar to the stored data 232, theprofile data 252, being stored in a cloud or in a distant facility, maybe exchanged among vehicles 104 or may be used by a user 216 indifferent locations or with different vehicles 104.

The vehicle control system 204 may also communicate with one or moresensors 236, 242, which are either associated with the vehicle 104 orcommunicate with the vehicle 104. Vehicle sensors 242 may include one ormore sensors for providing information to the vehicle control system 204that determine or provide information about the environment 100 in whichthe vehicle 104 is operating. Embodiments of these sensors may be asdescribed in conjunction with FIGS. 6A-7B. Non-vehicle sensor 236 can beany type of sensor that is not currently associated with the vehicle104. For example, non-vehicle sensor 236 can be sensors in a trafficsystem operated by a third party that provides data to the vehiclecontrol system 204. Further, the non-vehicle sensor(s) 236 can be othertypes of sensors which provide information about the distant environment116 or other information about the vehicle 104 or the environment 100.These non-vehicle sensors 236 may be operated by third parties butprovide information to the vehicle control system 204. Examples ofinformation provided by the sensors 236 and that may be used by thevehicle control system 204 may include weather tracking data, trafficdata, user health tracking data, vehicle maintenance data, or othertypes of data, which may provide environmental or other data to thevehicle control system 204. The vehicle control system 204 may alsoperform signal processing of signals received from one or more sensors236, 242. Such signal processing may include estimation of a measuredparameter from a single sensor, such as multiple measurements of a rangestate parameter from the vehicle 104 to an obstacle, and/or theestimation, blending, or fusion of a measured state parameter frommultiple sensors such as multiple radar sensors or a combination of aladar/lidar range sensor and a radar sensor. Signal processing of suchsensor signal measurements may comprise stochastic signal processing,adaptive signal processing, and/or other signal processing techniquesknown to those skilled in the art.

The various sensors 236, 242 may include one or more sensor memory 244.Embodiments of the sensor memory 244 may be configured to store datacollected by the sensors 236, 242. For example, a temperature sensor maycollect temperature data associated with a vehicle 104, user 216, and/orenvironment, over time. The temperature data may be collectedincrementally, in response to a condition, or at specific time periods.In this example, as the temperature data is collected, it may be storedin the sensor memory 244. In some cases, the data may be stored alongwith an identification of the sensor and a collection time associatedwith the data. Among other things, this stored data may include multipledata points and may be used to track changes in sensor measurements overtime. As can be appreciated, the sensor memory 244 can represent anytype of database or other storage system.

The diagnostic communications module 256 may be configured to receiveand transmit diagnostic signals and information associated with thevehicle 104. Examples of diagnostics signals and information mayinclude, but is in no way limited to, vehicle system warnings, sensordata, vehicle component status, service information, component health,maintenance alerts, recall notifications, predictive analysis, and thelike. Embodiments of the diagnostic communications module 256 may handlewarning/error signals in a predetermined manner. The signals, forinstance, can be presented to one or more of a third party, occupant,vehicle control system 204, and a service provider (e.g., manufacturer,repair facility, etc.).

Optionally, the diagnostic communications module 256 may be utilized bya third party (i.e., a party other than the user 216, etc.) incommunicating vehicle diagnostic information. For instance, amanufacturer may send a signal to a vehicle 104 to determine a statusassociated with one or more components associated with the vehicle 104.In response to receiving the signal, the diagnostic communicationsmodule 256 may communicate with the vehicle control system 204 toinitiate a diagnostic status check. Once the diagnostic status check isperformed, the information may be sent via the diagnostic communicationsmodule 256 to the manufacturer. This example may be especially useful indetermining whether a component recall should be issued based on thestatus check responses returned from a certain number of vehicles.

Wired/wireless transceiver/communications ports 260 may be included. Thewired/wireless transceiver/communications ports 260 may be included tosupport communications over wired networks or links, for example withother communication devices, server devices, and/or peripheral devices.Examples of wired/wireless transceiver/communications ports 260 includeEthernet ports, Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports, Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1594, or other interfaceports.

An embodiment of a vehicle control environment 300 including a vehiclecontrol system 204 may be as shown in FIG. 3. Beyond the vehicle controlsystem 204, the vehicle control environment 300 can include one or moreof, but is not limited to, a power source and/or power control module316, a data storage module 320, user interface(s)/input interface(s)324, vehicle subsystems 328, user interaction subsystems 332, GlobalPositioning System (GPS)/Navigation subsystems 336, sensor(s) and/orsensor subsystems 340, communication subsystems 344, media subsystems348, and/or device interaction subsystems 352. The subsystems, modules,components, etc. 316-352 may include hardware, software, firmware,computer readable media, displays, input devices, output devices, etc.or combinations thereof. The system, subsystems, modules, components,etc. 204, 316-352 may communicate over a network or bus 356. Thiscommunication bus 356 may be bidirectional and perform datacommunications using any known or future-developed standard or protocol.An example of the communication bus 356 may be as described inconjunction with FIG. 4.

The vehicle control system 204 can include a processor 304, memory 308,and/or an input/output (I/O) module 312. Thus, the vehicle controlsystem 204 may be a computer system, which can comprise hardwareelements that may be electrically coupled. The hardware elements mayinclude one or more central processing units (CPUs) 304; one or morecomponents of the I/O module 312 including input devices (e.g., a mouse,a keyboard, etc.) and/or one or more output devices (e.g., a displaydevice, a printer, etc.).

The processor 304 may comprise a general purpose programmable processoror controller for executing application programming or instructions. Theprocessor 304 may, optionally, include multiple processor cores, and/orimplement multiple virtual processors. Additionally or alternatively,the processor 304 may include multiple physical processors. As aparticular example, the processor 304 may comprise a speciallyconfigured application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or otherintegrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a controller, ahardwired electronic or logic circuit, a programmable logic device orgate array, a special purpose computer, or the like. The processor 304generally functions to run programming code or instructions implementingvarious functions of the vehicle control system 204.

The input/output module 312 and associated ports may be included tosupport communications over wired or wireless networks or links, forexample with other communication devices, server devices, and/orperipheral devices. Examples of an input/output module 312 include anEthernet port, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1594, or other interface.

The vehicle control system 204 may also include one or more storagedevices 308. By way of example, storage devices 308 may be disk drives,optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices such as a randomaccess memory (“RAM”) and/or a read-only memory (“ROM”), which can beprogrammable, flash-updateable and/or the like. The vehicle controlsystem 204 may additionally include a computer-readable storage mediareader; a communications system (e.g., a modem, a network card (wirelessor wired), an infra-red communication device, etc.); and working memory308, which may include RAM and ROM devices as described above. Thevehicle control system 204 may also include a processing accelerationunit, which can include a digital signal processor (DSP), aspecial-purpose processor, and/or the like.

The computer-readable storage media reader can further be connected to acomputer-readable storage medium, together (and, optionally, incombination with storage device(s)) comprehensively representing remote,local, fixed, and/or removable storage devices plus storage media fortemporarily and/or more permanently containing computer-readableinformation. The communications system may permit data to be exchangedwith an external or internal network and/or any other computer or devicedescribed herein. Moreover, as disclosed herein, the term “storagemedium” may represent one or more devices for storing data, includingread only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic RAM, corememory, magnetic disk storage mediums, optical storage mediums, flashmemory devices, and/or other machine readable mediums for storinginformation.

The vehicle control system 204 may also comprise software elementsincluding an operating system and/or other code, as described inconjunction with FIG. 10. It should be appreciated that alternates tothe vehicle control system 204 may have numerous variations from thatdescribed herein. For example, customized hardware might also be usedand/or particular elements might be implemented in hardware, software(including portable software, such as applets), or both. Further,connection to other computing devices such as network input/outputdevices may be employed.

The power source and/or power control module 316 can include any type ofpower source, including, but not limited to, batteries, alternatingcurrent sources (from connections to a building power system or powerline), solar cell arrays, etc. One or more components or modules mayalso be included to control the power source or change thecharacteristics of the provided power signal. Such modules can includeone or more of, but is not limited to, power regulators, power filters,alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) converters, DC to ACconverters, receptacles, wiring, other converters, etc. The power sourceand/or power control module 316 functions to provide the vehicle controlsystem 204 and any other system with power.

The data storage 320 can include any module for storing, retrieving,and/or managing data in one or more data stores and/or databases. Thedatabase or data stores may reside on a storage medium local to (and/orresident in) the vehicle control system 204 or in the vehicle 104.Alternatively, some of the data storage capability may be remote fromthe vehicle control system 204 or automobile, and in communication(e.g., via a network) to the vehicle control system 204. The database ordata stores may reside in a storage-area network (“SAN”) familiar tothose skilled in the art. Similarly, any necessary files for performingthe functions attributed to the vehicle control system 204 may be storedlocally on the respective vehicle control system 204 and/or remotely, asappropriate. The databases or data stores may be a relational database,and the data storage module 320 may be adapted to store, update, andretrieve data in response to specifically-formatted commands. The datastorage module 320 may also perform data management functions for anyflat file, object oriented, or other type of database or data store.

A first data store that may be part of the vehicle control environment300 is a profile data store 252 for storing data about user profiles anddata associated with the users. A system data store 208 can include dataused by the vehicle control system 204 and/or one or more of thecomponents 324-352 to facilitate the functionality described herein. Thedata stores 208 and/or 252 may be as described in conjunction with FIGS.1 and/or 12A-12D.

The user interface/input interfaces 324 may be as described herein forproviding information or data and/or for receiving input or data from auser. Vehicle systems 328 can include any of the mechanical, electrical,electromechanical, computer, or other systems associated with thefunction of the vehicle 100. For example, vehicle systems 328 caninclude one or more of, but is not limited to, the steering system, thebraking system, the engine and engine control systems, the electricalsystem, the suspension, the drive train, the cruise control system, theradio, the heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) system, thewindows and/or doors, etc. These systems are well known in the art andwill not be described further.

Examples of the other systems and subsystems 324-352 may be as describedfurther herein. For example, the user interface(s)/input interface(s)324 may be as described in FIGS. 2 and 8B; the vehicle subsystems 328may be as described in FIG. 6 a et. seq.; the user interaction subsystem332 may be as described in conjunction with the user/device interactionsubsystem 817 of FIG. 8B; the Navigation subsystem 336 may be asdescribed in FIGS. 6A and 8C; the sensor(s)/sensor subsystem 340 may beas described in FIGS. 7A and 7B; the communication subsystem 344 may beas described in FIGS. 2, 4, 5B, 5C, and 9; the media subsystem 348 maybe as described in FIG. 8A; and, the device interaction subsystem 352may be as described in FIG. 2 and in conjunction with the user/deviceinteraction subsystem 817 of FIG. 8B.

FIG. 4 illustrates an optional communications channel architecture 400and associated communications components. FIG. 4 illustrates some of theoptional components that can be interconnected via the communicationchannels/zones 404. Communication channels/zones 404 can carryinformation on one or more of a wired and/or wireless communicationslink with, in the illustrated example, there being three communicationschannels/zones, 408, 412, and 416.

This optional environment 400 can also include an IP router 420, anoperator cluster 424, one or more storage devices 428, one or moreblades, such as master blade 432, and computational blades 436 and 440.Additionally, the communications channels/zones 404 can interconnect oneor more displays, such as, remote display 1 444, remote display N 448,and console display 452. The communications channels/zones 404 alsointerconnect an access point 456, a Bluetooth® access point/USB hub 460,a Femtocell 464, a storage controller 468, that is connected to one ormore of USB devices 472, DVDs 476, or other storage devices 480. Toassist with managing communications within the communication channel,the environment 400 optionally includes a firewall 484 which will bediscussed hereinafter in greater detail. Other components that couldalso share the communications channel/zones 404 include GPS 488, mediacontroller 492, which is connected to one or more media sources 496, andone or more subsystems, such as subsystem switches 498.

Optionally, the communications channels/zones 404 can be viewed as anI/O network or bus where the communications channels are carried on thesame physical media. Optionally, the communication channels 404 can besplit amongst one or more physical media and/or combined with one ormore wireless communications protocols. Optionally, the communicationschannels 404 can be based on wireless protocols with no physical mediainterconnecting the various elements described herein.

The environment 400 shown in FIG. 4 can include a collection of bladeprocessors that are housed in a “crate.” The crate can have a PC-stylebackplane connector 408 and a backplane Ethernet 408 that allows thevarious blades to communicate with one another using, for example, anEthernet.

Various other functional elements illustrated in FIG. 4 can beintegrated into this crate architecture with, as discussed hereinafter,various zones utilized for security. Optionally, as illustrated in FIG.4, the backplane 404/408 can have two separate Ethernet zones that mayor may not be on the same communications channel. Optionally, the zonesexist on a single communications channel on the I/O network/bus 408.Optionally, the zones are actually on different communications channels,e.g., 412, 416; however, the implementation is not restricted to anyparticular type of configuration. Rather, as illustrated in FIG. 4,there can be a red zone 417 and a green zone 413, and the I/O backplaneon the network/bus 408 that enables standard I/O operations. Thisbackplane or I/O network/bus 408 also optionally can provide powerdistribution to the various modules and blades illustrated in FIG. 4.The red and green Ethernet zones, 417 and 413 respectively, can beimplemented as Ethernet switches, with one on each side of the firewall484. Two Ethernets (untrusted and trusted) are not connected inaccordance with an optional embodiment. Optionally, the connectorgeometry for the firewall can be different for the Ethernet zones thanfor the blades that are a part of the system.

The red zone 417 only needs to go from the modular connector to theinput side of the backplane connector of the firewall 484. While FIG. 4indicates that there are five external red zone connectors to thefirewall 484, provisions can be made for any number of ports with theconnections being made at the access point 456, the Bluetooth® accesspoint (combo controller) 460, Femtocell 464, storage controller 468,and/or firewall 484. Optionally, the external port connections can bemade through a manufacturer configurable modular connector panel, andone or more of the red zone Ethernet ports could be available through acustomer supplied crate which allows, for example, wired Ethernetconnections from a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) to the firewall 484.

The green zone 413 goes from the output side of the firewall 484 andgenerally defines the trusted Ethernet. The Ethernet on the backplane408 essentially implements an Ethernet switch for the entire system,defining the Ethernet backbone of the vehicle 104. All other modules,e.g., blades, etc., can connect to a standard backplane bus and thetrusted Ethernet. Some number of switch ports can be reserved to connectto an output modular connector panel to distribute the Ethernetthroughout the vehicle 104, e.g., connecting such elements as theconsole display 452, remote displays 444, 448, GPS 488, etc. Optionally,only trusted components, either provided or approved by the manufacturerafter testing, can be attached to the green zone 413, which is bydefinition in the trusted Ethernet environment.

Optionally, the environment 400, shown in FIG. 4, utilizes IPv6 overEthernet connections wherever possible. Using, for example, the Broadcomsingle-twisted pair Ethernet technology, wiring harnesses are simplifiedand data transmission speeds are maximized. However, while the Broadcomsingle-twisted pair Ethernet technology can be used, in general, systemsand methods can work comparably well with any type of well-knownEthernet technology or other comparable communications technology.

As illustrated in FIG. 4 the I/O network/bus 408 is a split-bus conceptthat contains three independent bus structures:

The red zone 417—the untrusted Ethernet environment. This zone 417 maybe used to connect network devices and customer provided devices to thevehicle information system with these devices being on the untrustedside of the firewall 484.

The green zone 413—the trusted Ethernet environment, this zone 413 canbe used to connect manufacturer certified devices such as GPS units,remote displays, subsystem switches, and the like, to the vehiclenetwork 404. Manufacturer certified devices can be implemented byvendors that allow the vehicle software system to validate whether ornot a device is certified to operate with the vehicle 100. Optionally,only certified devices are allowed to connect to the trusted side of thenetwork.

The I/O bus 409—the I/O bus may be used to provide power and datatransmission to bus-based devices such as the vehicle solid state drive,the media controller blade 492, the computational blades 436, 440, andthe like.

As an example, the split-bus structure can have the following minimumconfiguration:

-   -   Two slots for the red zone Ethernet;    -   One slot for built-in LTE/WiMax access 420 from the car to other        network resources such as the cloud/Internet;    -   One slot for user devices or bring-your-own device access, this        slot can implement, for example, WiFi, Bluetooth®, and/or USB        connectivity 456, which can be provided in, for example, the        customer crate;    -   One slot for combined red zone and green zone Ethernet, this        slot can be reserved for the firewall controller;    -   Two slots for computational blades. Here the two computation        blades are illustratively as shown the optional master blade and        the multimedia blade or controller 492 which can be provided as        standard equipment; and    -   The expansion controller that allows the I/O bus to be extended        and provides additional Ethernet switch ports for one or more of        the red or green zones, which may require that the basic green        zone Ethernet switch implementation will support additional        ports beyond the initial three that are needed for the basic        exemplary system.    -   It should be possible to build 8 or 16 or more Ethernet switches        that allow for the expansion with existing component(s) in a        straight-forward manner.

The red zone 417 can be implemented as an 8-port Ethernet switch thathas three actual bus ports within the crate with the remaining fiveports being available on the customer crate. The crate implements redzone slots for the firewall controller 484, the combo controller whichincludes WiFi, Bluetooth®, USB hub (456, 460) and the IP router 420.

The firewall controller 484 can have a dedicated slot that bridges thered zone 417, green zone 413, and uses the I/O bus for powerconnections. In accordance with an optional low cost implementation, thefirewall 484 can be implemented by a dummy module that simply bridgesthe red zone 417 and the green zone 413 without necessarily providingany firewall functionality. The combo controller 460 that includes theWiFi, Bluetooth®, and USB hub can be provided for consumer deviceconnections. This controller can also implement the IPv6 (un-routable)protocol to insure that all information is packetized for transmissionvia IP over the Ethernet in the I/O network/bus 408.

The combo controller 460 with the USB hub can have ports in the customercrate. The combo controller 460 can implement USB discovery functionsand packetizes the information for transmission via IP over Ethernet.The combo controller 460 can also facilitate installation of the correctUSB driver for the discovered device, such as a BYOD from the user. Thecombo controller 460 and USB hub can then map the USB address to a“local” IPv6 address for interaction with one or more of thecomputational blades which is generally going to be the media controller492.

The IP router 420 can implement Internet access through a manufacturerprovided service. This service can allow, for example, a manufacturer tooffer value-added services to be integrated into the vehicle informationsystems. The existence of the manufacturer provided Internet access canalso allow the “e-Call” function and other vehicle data recorderfunctions to be implemented. IP router 420 also allows, for example,WiMax, 4G LTE, and other connections to the Internet through a serviceprovider that can be, for example, contracted by the manufacturer.Internally, the IP router 420 can allow cellular handset connections tothe Internet through a Femtocell 464 that is part of the IP routerimplementation. The IP router 420, with the Femtocell 464, can alsoallow a cone of silence functionality to be implemented. The IP router420 can be an optional component for a vehicle provided by, for example,the manufacturer, a dealer, or installed by a user. In the absence ofthe IP router 420, it is possible to connect a consumer handheld deviceto the I/O network/bus 408 using, for example, either WiFi or Bluetooth®456, 460. While functionality may be somewhat reduced when using ahandheld device instead of a built-in Ethernet connection, systems andmethods of this invention can also work utilizing this consumer handhelddevice which then connects to the Internet via, for example, WiMax, 4G,4G LTE, or the like.

FIGS. 5A-5C show configurations of a vehicle 104. In general, a vehicle104 may provide functionality based at least partially on one or moreareas, zones, and distances, associated with the vehicle 104.Non-limiting examples of this functionality are provided herein below.

An arrangement or configuration for sensors within a vehicle 104 is asshown in FIG. 5A. The sensor arrangement 500 can include one or moreareas 508 within the vehicle. An area can be a larger part of theenvironment inside or outside of the vehicle 104. Thus, area one 508Amay include the area within the trunk space or engine space of thevehicle 104 and/or the front passenger compartment. Area two 508B mayinclude a portion of the interior space 108 (e.g., a passengercompartment, etc.) of the vehicle 104. The area N, 508N, may include thetrunk space or rear compartment area, when included within the vehicle104. The interior space 108 may also be divided into other areas. Thus,one area may be associated with the front passenger's and driver'sseats, a second area may be associated with the middle passengers'seats, and a third area may be associated with a rear passenger's seat.Each area 508 may include one or more sensors that are positioned oroperate to provide environmental information about that area 508.

Each area 508 may be further separated into one or more zones 512 withinthe area 508. For example, area 1 508A may be separated into zone A512A, and zone B 512B. Each zone 512 may be associated with a particularportion of the interior occupied by a passenger. For example, zone A512A may be associated with a driver. Zone B 512B, may be associatedwith a front passenger. Each zone 512 may include one or more sensorsthat are positioned or configured to collect information about theenvironment or ecosystem associated with that zone or person.

A passenger area 508B may include more than two zones as described inconjunction with area 508A. For example, area 508B may include threezones, 512C, 512D, and 512E. These three separate zones 512C, 512D, and512E may be associated with three passenger seats typically found in therear passenger area of a vehicle 104. An area 508N and may include asingle zone 512N as there may be no separate passenger areas but mayinclude a single trunk area within the vehicle 104. The number of zones512 is unlimited within the areas as the areas are also unlimited insidethe vehicle 104. Further, it should be noted that there may be one orareas 508 or zones 512 that may be located outside the vehicle 104 thatmay have a specific set of sensors associated therewith.

Optionally, each area/access point 508, 456, 516, 520, and/or zone 512,associated with a vehicle 104, may comprise one or more sensors todetermine a presence of a user 216 and/or device 212, 248 in and/oradjacent to each area 508, 456, 516, 520, and/or zone 512. The sensorsmay include vehicle sensors 242 and/or non-vehicle sensors 236 asdescribed herein. It is anticipated that the sensors may be configuredto communicate with a vehicle control system 204 and/or the diagnosticcommunications module 256. Additionally or alternatively, the sensorsmay communicate with a device 212, 248. The communication of sensorswith the vehicle 104 may initiate and/or terminate the control of device212, 248 features. For example, a vehicle operator may be located in asecond outside area 520 associated with a vehicle 104. As the operatorapproaches the first outside area 516, associated with the vehicle 104,the vehicle control system 204 may determine to control featuresassociated with one or more device 212, 248 and diagnosticcommunications module 256.

Optionally, the location of the device 212, 248 relative to the vehicle104 may determine vehicle functionality and/or features to be providedand/or restricted to a user 216. By way of example, a device 212, 248associated with a user 216 may be located at a second outside area 520from the vehicle 104. In this case, and based at least partially on thedistance of the device 212, 248 from the vehicle 104 (e.g., provided bydetecting the device 212, 248 at or beyond the second outside area 520)the vehicle 104 may lock one or more features (e.g., ignition access,vehicle access, communications ability, etc.) associated with thevehicle 104. Optionally, the vehicle 104 may provide an alert based onthe distance of the device 212, 248 from the vehicle 104. Continuing theexample above, once the device 212, 248 reaches the first outside area516 of the vehicle 104 at least one of the vehicle features may beunlocked. For instance, by reaching the first outside area 516, thevehicle 104 may unlock a door of the vehicle 104. In some cases, whenthe device is detected to be inside the vehicle 104, the various sensors236, 242 may determine that the user 216 is in an area 508 and/or zone512. As is further described herein, features of the vehicle 104, device212, 248, and/or other components may be controlled based on rulesstored in a memory.

FIG. 5B illustrates optional internal vehicle communications between oneor more of the vehicle and one or more devices or between devices.Various communications can occur utilizing one or more Bluetooth®, NFC,WiFi, mobile hot spot, point-to-point communications,point-to-multipoint other point communications, an ad hoc network, or ingeneral any known communications protocol over any known communicationsmedia or media-types.

Optionally, various types of internal vehicle communications can befacilitated using an access point 456 that utilizes one or more ofBluetooth®, NFC, WiFi, wireless Ethernet, mobile hot spot technology, orthe like. Upon being connected with, and optionally authenticated to theaccess point 456, the connected device is able to communicate with oneor more of the vehicle and one or more other devices that are connectedto the access point 456. The type of connection to the access point 456can be based on, for example, the zone 512, in which the device islocated.

The user may identify their zone 512 in conjunction with anauthentication procedure to the access point 456. For example, a driverin zone A 512A, upon authenticating to the access point 456, can causethe access point 456 to send a query to the device asking the deviceuser in which zone 512 they are located. As discussed hereinafter, thezone 512 the user device is located in may have an impact on the type ofcommunications, available bandwidth, the types of other devices orvehicle systems or subsystems the device could communicate with, and thelike. As a brief introduction, internal communications with zone A 512Amay be given preferential treatment over those communicationsoriginating from area 2 508B, which could have in itself, preferentialtreatment over communications originating within area N 508N.

Moreover, the device in zone A 512A can include profile information thatgoverns the other devices that are allowed to connect to the accesspoint 456 and what those devices have access to, how they cancommunicate, how much bandwidth they are allocated, and the like. While,optionally, the device associated with zone A 512A will be consideredthe “master” controller of the profile that governs the internal vehiclecommunications, it should be appreciated that this was arbitrarilychosen since it is assumed that there will always be a driver in a carthat is present in zone A 512A. However, it should be appreciated thedriver in zone A 512A, for example, may not have a communications devicein which case a device associated with one of the other areas or zones,such as zone B 512B, area 2 508B, or area N 508N could also beassociated with or control this master profile.

Optionally, various devices located within the various zones 512 canconnect using, for example, ports provided by access point 456 orBluetooth® access point/USB hub 460 as illustrated in FIG. 4. Similarly,the device(s) could connect utilizing the Femtocell 464 and optionallybe directly connected via, for example, a standard Ethernet port.

As discussed, each one of the areas, area 1 508A, area 2 508B, and areaN 508N, can each have associated therewith a profile that governs, forexample, how many and what types of devices can connect from that area508, bandwidth allocated to that area 508, the types of media or contentavailable to device(s) within that area 508, the interconnection ofdevices within that area 508 or between areas 508, or, in general, cancontrol any aspect of communication of an associated device with any oneor more other associated devices/vehicle systems within the vehicle 104.

Optionally, area 2 508B devices can be provided with full access tomultimedia and infotainment available within the vehicle 104, however,devices in area 2 508B may be restricted from any access to vehiclefunctions. Only devices in area 1 508A may be able to access vehiclecontrol functions such as when “parents” are located in area 1 508A andthe children are located in area 2 508B. Optionally, devices found inzone E 512E of area 2 508B may be able to access limited vehicle controlfunctionality such as climate control within area 2. Similarly, devicesin area N 508N may be able to control climate features within zone N512N.

As will be appreciated, profiles can be established that allowmanagement of communications within each of the areas 508, and furtheroptionally within each of the zones 512. The profile can be granular innature controlling not only what type of devices can connect within eachzone 512, but how those devices can communicate with other devicesand/or the vehicle and types of information that can be communicated.

To assist with identifying a location of a device within a zone 512, anumber of different techniques can be utilized. One optional techniqueinvolves one or more of the vehicle sensors detecting the presence of anindividual within one of the zones 512. Upon detection of an individualin a zone 512, communications subsystems 344 and the access point 456can cooperate to not only associate the device within the zone 512 withthe access point 456 but to also determine the location of the devicewithin an area, and optionally within a zone 512. Once the device isestablished within a zone 512, a profile associated with the vehicle 104can store information identifying that device and/or a person andoptionally associating it with a particular zone 512 as a default. Asdiscussed, there can be a master profile optionally associated with thedevice in zone A 512A, this master profile can govern communicationswith the communications subsystems 340 and where communications withinvehicle 104 are to occur.

Some optional profiles are illustrated below where the Master Profilegoverns other device connectivity:

Master Profile:

Area 1 508A Area 2 508B Area N 508N Other All Communications AllowAccess to No Access Master Profile acts Infotainment as Firewall andRouter All Vehicle Controls Allow Area 2 Climate ControlSecondary Profile (e.g., device in Zone B 512B, Area 1 508A)

Area 1 508A Area 2 508B Area N 508N Other All Communications AllowAccess to Allow Access to Master Profile acts Infotainment Infotainmentas Firewall and Router All Vehicle Controls Allow Area 2 Allow Area 2Climate Control Climate Control

Secondary Profile, Option 2

Area 1 508A Area 2 508B Area N 508N Other All Communications AllowAccess to Allow Access to Infotainment, Infotainment Internet AllVehicle Controls Allow Area 2 Allow Area 2 Except Driver- ClimateControl Climate Control centric Controls

Some optional profiles are illustrated below where the Area/Zone governsdevice connectivity:

Area 2 508B Profile:

Area 1 508A Area 2 508B Area N 508N Other No Communications Allow Accessto with Area 1 Devices Infotainment, Allow Access to Other Area 2 orZone N Devices, Internet No Vehicle Controls Allow Area 2 ClimateControl

Area N 508N Profile:

Area 1 508A Area 2 508B Area N 508N Other Communications Allow Access towith Area 1, Zone B Infotainment, Allow Device Access to Other Area N orZone N Devices No Vehicle Controls Allow Area N Climate Control

Area 2 508B Profile:

Area 1 508A Area 2 508B Area N 508N Other Media Sharing with AllowAccess to Area 1, Zone B and Infotainment, Allow Vehicle Access to OtherArea 2 or Zone N Devices, Internet and Femtocell No Vehicle Controls

Optionally, a user's device, such as a SmartPhone, can store in, forexample a profile, with which zone 512 the user's device is associated.Then, assuming the user sits in the same zone 512 and area 508 aspreviously, the user's device can re-establish the same communicationsprotocols with the access point 456 as were previously established.

In addition or in the alternative, the areas 508 and zones 512 can haveassociated therewith restrictions as to which one or more other user'sdevices with which users' devices can connect. For example, a firstuser's device can connect with any other user device in area 2 508B orarea N 508N, however is restricted from connecting with a user device inarea 1 508A, zone A 512A. However, the first user device may be able tocommunicate with another user's device that is located in area 1 508A,zone B 512B. These communications can include any type of standardcommunications such as sharing content, exchanging messages, forwardingor sharing multimedia or infotainment, or in general can include anycommunications that would ordinarily be available between two devicesand/or the vehicle and vehicle systems. As discussed, there may berestrictions on the type of communications that can be sent to thedevice in area 1 508A, zone A 512A. For example, the user's device inarea 1 508A, zone A 512A may be restricted from receiving one or more oftext messages, multimedia, infotainment, or in general anything that canbe envisioned as a potential distraction to the driver. Moreover, itshould be appreciated that the communications between the variousdevices and the various zones 512 need not necessarily occur with theassistance of access point 456, but the communications could also occurdirectly between the device(s).

FIG. 5C outlines optional internal vehicle communications between one ormore of the vehicle and one or more devices. More specifically, FIG. 5Cillustrates an example of vehicle communications where the vehicle 104is equipped with the necessary transceivers to provide a mobile hot spotfunctionality to any user device(s) therein, such as user devices 248Aand 248N.

Optionally, and as discussed above, one or more user devices can connectto the access point 456. This access point 456 is equipped to handlecommunications routing to not only the communication network/buses 224for intra-vehicle communications, but optionally can also communicatewith, for example, the Internet or the cloud, in cooperation withtransceiver 260. Optionally included is a firewall 484 that has thecapability of not only blocking certain types of content, such as amalicious content, but can also operate to exclude certain type ofcommunications from emanating from the vehicle 104 and transceiver 260.As will be appreciated, various profiles could be established in thefirewall 484 that controls not only the type of communications that canbe received at the vehicle 104, but the type of communications that canbe sent from the vehicle 104.

The transceiver 260 can be any type of well-known wireless transceiverthat communicates using a known communications protocol such as WiMax,4G, 4G LTE, 3G, or the like. The user devices can communicate via, forexample, WiFi link 248 with the access point 456, with the transceiver260 providing Internet connectivity to the various user devices. As willbe appreciated, there may need to be an account associated withtransceiver 260 with a wireless carrier to provide data and/or voiceconnectivity to enable the user devices to communicate with theInternet. Typically, the account is established on a month-to-monthbasis with an associated fee but could also be performed based on theamount of data to be transmitted, received, or in any other manner.

Moreover, one or more of the user's devices and access point 456 canmaintain profile information that governs how the user's devices areable to communicate with other devices, and optionally the Internet.Optionally, a profile can exist that only allows the user's devices tocommunicate with other user's devices and/or the vehicle, multimediaand/or the vehicle infotainment system, and may not be allowed access tothe Internet via transceiver 260. The profile can stipulate that theuser's device could connect to the Internet via transceiver 260 for aspecified period of time and/or up to a certain amount of data usage.The user's device can have full access to the Internet via transceiver260 with no limit on time or data usage which would reduce the datausage of the user's device since it is connected via WiFi to the accesspoint 456, but however, would increase the data usage by transceiver260, and therefore, shift the billing for that data usage to thetransceiver 260 instead of the user's device. Still further, and aspreviously discussed, the various profiles may stipulate which user'sdevice has priority for use of the bandwidth provided by the transceiver260. For example, a user's device located area 1 508A, zone A 512A maybe given preferential routing treatment of data above that of a user'sdevice in zone N 512N. In this manner, for example, a driver would begiven priority for Internet access above that of the passengers. Thiscould become important, for example, when the driver is trying to obtaintraffic or direction information or, for example, when the vehicle isperforming a download to update various software features.

As will be appreciated, the optional firewall 484 can cooperate with theaccess point 456 and the various profiles that area 508 associated withthe various devices within the vehicle 104 and can fully implementcommunications restrictions, control bandwidth limits, Internetaccessibility, malicious software blocking, and the like. Moreover, theoptional firewall 484 can be accessed by an administrator with one ormore of these configuration settings edited through an administrator'scontrol panel. For example, in a scenario where parents are always inarea 1 508A, it may be appropriate to give all of the user's devices inarea 1 508A full access to the Internet utilizing transceiver 260,however, while restricting access and/or bandwidth to any other userdevices within the vehicle 104. As the user's device and profile wouldbe known by the firewall 484, upon the user's device being associatedwith the access point 456, the firewall 484 and transceiver 260 can beconfigured to allow communications in accordance with the storedprofile.

A set of sensors or vehicle components 600 associated with the vehicle104 may be as shown in FIG. 6A. The vehicle 104 can include, among manyother components common to vehicles, wheels 607, a power source 609(such as an engine, motor, or energy storage system (e.g., battery orcapacitive energy storage system)), a manual or automatic transmission612, a manual or automatic transmission gear controller 616, a powercontroller 620 (such as a throttle), a vehicle control system 204, thedisplay device 212, a braking system 636, a steering wheel 640, a powersource activation/deactivation switch 644 (e.g., an ignition), anoccupant seating system 648, a wireless signal receiver 653 to receivewireless signals from signal sources such as roadside beacons and otherelectronic roadside devices, and a satellite positioning system receiver657 (e.g., a Global Positioning System (“GPS”) (US), GLONASS (Russia),Galileo positioning system (EU), Compass navigation system (China), andRegional Navigational Satellite System (India) receiver), driverlesssystems (e.g., cruise control systems, automatic steering systems,automatic braking systems, etc.).

The vehicle 104 can include a number of sensors in wireless or wiredcommunication with the vehicle control system 204 and/or display device212, 248 to collect sensed information regarding the vehicle state,configuration, and/or operation. Exemplary sensors may include one ormore of, but are not limited to, wheel state sensor 660 to sense one ormore of vehicle speed, acceleration, deceleration, wheel rotation, wheelspeed (e.g., wheel revolutions-per-minute), wheel slip, and the like, apower source energy output sensor 664 to sense a power output of thepower source 609 by measuring one or more of current engine speed (e.g.,revolutions-per-minute), energy input and/or output (e.g., voltage,current, fuel consumption, and torque) (e.g., turbine speed sensor,input speed sensor, crankshaft position sensor, manifold absolutepressure sensor, mass flow sensor, and the like), and the like, a switchstate sensor 668 to determine a current activation or deactivation stateof the power source activation/deactivation switch 644, a transmissionsetting sensor 670 to determine a current setting of the transmission(e.g., gear selection or setting), a gear controller sensor 672 todetermine a current setting of the gear controller 616, a powercontroller sensor 674 to determine a current setting of the powercontroller 620, a brake sensor 676 to determine a current state (brakingor non-braking) of the braking system 636, a seating system sensor 678to determine a seat setting and current weight of seated occupant, ifany) in a selected seat of the seating system 648, exterior and interiorsound receivers 690 and 692 (e.g., a microphone, sonar, and other typeof acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor) to receive and convertsound waves into an equivalent analog or digital signal. Examples ofother sensors (not shown) that may be employed include safety systemstate sensors to determine a current state of a vehicular safety system(e.g., air bag setting (deployed or undeployed) and/or seat belt setting(engaged or not engaged)), light setting sensor (e.g., currentheadlight, emergency light, brake light, parking light, fog light,interior or passenger compartment light, and/or tail light state (on oroff)), brake control (e.g., pedal) setting sensor, accelerator pedalsetting or angle sensor, clutch pedal setting sensor, emergency brakepedal setting sensor, door setting (e.g., open, closed, locked orunlocked) sensor, engine temperature sensor, passenger compartment orcabin temperature sensor, window setting (open or closed) sensor, one ormore interior-facing or exterior-facing cameras or other imaging sensors(which commonly convert an optical image into an electronic signal butmay include other devices for detection objects such as anelectromagnetic radiation emitter/receiver that emits electromagneticradiation and receives electromagnetic waves reflected by the object) tosense objects, such as other vehicles and pedestrians and optionallydetermine the distance, trajectory and speed of such objects, in thevicinity or path of the vehicle, odometer reading sensor, trip mileagereading sensor, wind speed sensor, radar transmitter/receiver output,brake wear sensor, steering/torque sensor, oxygen sensor, ambientlighting sensor, vision system sensor, ranging sensor, parking sensor,heating, venting, and air conditioning (HVAC) sensor, water sensor,air-fuel ratio meter, blind spot monitor, hall effect sensor,microphone, radio frequency (RF) sensor, infrared (IR) sensor, vehiclecontrol system sensors, wireless network sensor (e.g., Wi-Fi and/orBluetooth® sensor), cellular data sensor, and other sensors eitherfuture-developed or known to those of skill in the vehicle art.

In the depicted vehicle embodiment, the various sensors can be incommunication with the display device 212, 248 and vehicle controlsystem 204 via signal carrier network 224. As noted, the signal carriernetwork 224 can be a network of signal conductors, a wireless network(e.g., a radio frequency, microwave, or infrared communication systemusing a communications protocol, such as Wi-Fi), or a combinationthereof. The vehicle control system 204 may also provide signalprocessing of one or more sensors, sensor fusion of similar and/ordissimilar sensors, signal smoothing in the case of erroneous “wildpoint” signals, and/or sensor fault detection. For example, rangingmeasurements provided by one or more RF sensors may be combined withranging measurements from one or more IR sensors to determine one fusedestimate of vehicle range to an obstacle target.

The control system 204 may receive and read sensor signals, such aswheel and engine speed signals, as a digital input comprising, forexample, a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal. The processor 304 can beconfigured, for example, to read each of the signals into a portconfigured as a counter or configured to generate an interrupt onreceipt of a pulse, such that the processor 304 can determine, forexample, the engine speed in revolutions per minute (RPM) and the speedof the vehicle in miles per hour (MPH) and/or kilometers per hour (KPH).One skilled in the art will recognize that the two signals can bereceived from existing sensors in a vehicle comprising a tachometer anda speedometer, respectively. Alternatively, the current engine speed andvehicle speed can be received in a communication packet as numericvalues from a conventional dashboard subsystem comprising a tachometerand a speedometer. The transmission speed sensor signal can be similarlyreceived as a digital input comprising a signal coupled to a counter orinterrupt signal of the processor 304 or received as a value in acommunication packet on a network or port interface from an existingsubsystem of the vehicle 104. The ignition sensor signal can beconfigured as a digital input, wherein a HIGH value represents that theignition is on and a LOW value represents that the ignition is OFF.Three bits of the port interface can be configured as a digital input toreceive the gear shift position signal, representing eight possible gearshift positions. Alternatively, the gear shift position signal can bereceived in a communication packet as a numeric value on the portinterface. The throttle position signal can be received as an analoginput value, typically in the range 0-5 volts. Alternatively, thethrottle position signal can be received in a communication packet as anumeric value on the port interface. The output of other sensors can beprocessed in a similar fashion.

Other sensors may be included and positioned in the interior space 108of the vehicle 104. Generally, these interior sensors obtain data aboutthe health of the driver and/or passenger(s), data about the safety ofthe driver and/or passenger(s), and/or data about the comfort of thedriver and/or passenger(s). The health data sensors can include sensorsin the steering wheel that can measure various health telemetry for theperson (e.g., heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, blood presence,blood composition, etc.). Sensors in the seats may also provide forhealth telemetry (e.g., presence of liquid, weight, weight shifts,etc.). Infrared sensors could detect a person's temperature; opticalsensors can determine a person's position and whether the person hasbecome unconscious. Other health sensors are possible and includedherein.

Safety sensors can measure whether the person is acting safely. Opticalsensors can determine a person's position and focus. If the person stopslooking at the road ahead, the optical sensor can detect the lack offocus. Sensors in the seats may detect if a person is leaning forward ormay be injured by a seat belt in a collision. Other sensors can detectthat the driver has at least one hand on a steering wheel. Other safetysensors are possible and contemplated as if included herein.

Comfort sensors can collect information about a person's comfort.Temperature sensors may detect a temperature of the interior cabin.Moisture sensors can determine a relative humidity. Audio sensors candetect loud sounds or other distractions. Audio sensors may also receiveinput from a person through voice data. Other comfort sensors arepossible and contemplated as if included herein.

FIG. 6B shows an interior sensor configuration for one or more zones 512of a vehicle 104 optionally. Optionally, the areas 508 and/or zones 512of a vehicle 104 may include sensors that are configured to collectinformation associated with the interior 108 of a vehicle 104. Inparticular, the various sensors may collect environmental information,user information, and safety information, to name a few. Embodiments ofthese sensors may be as described in conjunction with FIGS. 7A-8B.

Optionally, the sensors may include one or more of optical, or image,sensors 622A-B (e.g., cameras, etc.), motion sensors 624A-B (e.g.,utilizing RF, IR, and/or other sound/image sensing, etc.), steeringwheel user sensors 642 (e.g., heart rate, temperature, blood pressure,sweat, health, etc.), seat sensors 677 (e.g., weight, load cell,moisture, electrical, force transducer, etc.), safety restraint sensors679 (e.g., seatbelt, airbag, load cell, force transducer, etc.),interior sound receivers 692A-B, environmental sensors 694 (e.g.,temperature, humidity, air, oxygen, etc.), and the like.

The image sensors 622A-B may be used alone or in combination to identifyobjects, users 216, and/or other features, inside the vehicle 104.Optionally, a first image sensor 622A may be located in a differentposition within a vehicle 104 from a second image sensor 622B. When usedin combination, the image sensors 622A-B may combine captured images toform, among other things, stereo and/or three-dimensional (3D) images.The stereo images can be recorded and/or used to determine depthassociated with objects and/or users 216 in a vehicle 104. Optionally,the image sensors 622A-B used in combination may determine the complexgeometry associated with identifying characteristics of a user 216. Forinstance, the image sensors 622A-B may be used to determine dimensionsbetween various features of a user's face (e.g., the depth/distance froma user's nose to a user's cheeks, a linear distance between the centerof a user's eyes, and more). These dimensions may be used to verify,record, and even modify characteristics that serve to identify a user216. As can be appreciated, utilizing stereo images can allow for a user216 to provide complex gestures in a 3D space of the vehicle 104. Thesegestures may be interpreted via one or more of the subsystems asdisclosed herein. Optionally, the image sensors 622A-B may be used todetermine movement associated with objects and/or users 216 within thevehicle 104. It should be appreciated that the number of image sensorsused in a vehicle 104 may be increased to provide greater dimensionalaccuracy and/or views of a detected image in the vehicle 104.

The vehicle 104 may include one or more motion sensors 624A-B. Thesemotion sensors 624A-B may detect motion and/or movement of objectsinside the vehicle 104. Optionally, the motion sensors 624A-B may beused alone or in combination to detect movement. For example, a user 216may be operating a vehicle 104 (e.g., while driving, etc.) when apassenger in the rear of the vehicle 104 unbuckles a safety belt andproceeds to move about the vehicle 104. In this example, the movement ofthe passenger could be detected by the motion sensors 624A-B.Optionally, the user 216 could be alerted of this movement by one ormore of the devices 212, 248 in the vehicle 104. In another example, apassenger may attempt to reach for one of the vehicle control features(e.g., the steering wheel 640, the console, icons displayed on the headunit and/or device 212, 248, etc.). In this case, the movement (i.e.,reaching) of the passenger may be detected by the motion sensors 624A-B.Optionally, the path, trajectory, anticipated path, and/or some otherdirection of movement/motion may be determined using the motion sensors624A-B. In response to detecting the movement and/or the directionassociated with the movement, the passenger may be prevented frominterfacing with and/or accessing at least some of the vehicle controlfeatures (e.g., the features represented by icons may be hidden from auser interface, the features may be locked from use by the passenger,combinations thereof, etc.). As can be appreciated, the user 216 may bealerted of the movement/motion such that the user 216 can act to preventthe passenger from interfering with the vehicle 104 controls.Optionally, the number of motion sensors in a vehicle 104, or areas of avehicle 104, may be increased to increase an accuracy associated withmotion detected in the vehicle 104.

The interior sound receivers 692A-B may include, but are not limited to,microphones and other types of acoustic-to-electric transducers orsensors. Optionally, the interior sound receivers 692A-B may beconfigured to receive and convert sound waves into an equivalent analogor digital signal. The interior sound receivers 692A-B may serve todetermine one or more locations associated with various sounds in thevehicle 104. The location of the sounds may be determined based on acomparison of volume levels, intensity, and the like, between soundsdetected by two or more interior sound receivers 692A-B. For instance, afirst interior sound receiver 692A may be located in a first area of thevehicle 104 and a second interior sound receiver 692B may be located ina second area of the vehicle 104. If a sound is detected at a firstvolume level by the first interior sound receiver 692A and a second,higher, volume level by the second interior sound receiver 692B in thesecond area of the vehicle 104, the sound may be determined to be closerto the second area of the vehicle 104. As can be appreciated, the numberof sound receivers used in a vehicle 104 may be increased (e.g., morethan two, etc.) to increase measurement accuracy surrounding sounddetection and location, or source, of the sound (e.g., viatriangulation, etc.).

Seat sensors 677 may be included in the vehicle 104. The seat sensors677 may be associated with each seat and/or zone 512 in the vehicle 104.Optionally, the seat sensors 677 may provide health telemetry and/oridentification via one or more of load cells, force transducers, weightsensors, moisture detection sensor, electrical conductivity/resistancesensor, and the like. For example, the seat sensors 677 may determinethat a user 216 weighs 180 lbs. This value may be compared to user datastored in memory to determine whether a match exists between thedetected weight and a user 216 associated with the vehicle 104. Inanother example, if the seat sensors 677 detect that a user 216 isfidgeting, or moving, in a seemingly uncontrollable manner, the systemmay determine that the user 216 has suffered a nervous and/or muscularsystem issue (e.g., seizure, etc.). The vehicle control system 204 maythen cause the vehicle 104 to slow down and in addition or alternativelythe automobile controller 8104 (described below) can safely take controlof the vehicle 104 and bring the vehicle 104 to a stop in a safelocation (e.g., out of traffic, off a freeway, etc).

Health telemetry and other data may be collected via the steering wheeluser sensors 642. Optionally, the steering wheel user sensors 642 maycollect heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, and the like,associated with a user 216 via at least one contact disposed on or aboutthe steering wheel 640.

The safety restraint sensors 679 may be employed to determine a stateassociated with one or more safety restraint devices in a vehicle 104.The state associated with one or more safety restraint devices may serveto indicate a force observed at the safety restraint device, a state ofactivity (e.g., retracted, extended, various ranges of extension and/orretraction, deployment, buckled, unbuckled, etc.), damage to the safetyrestraint device, and more.

Environmental sensors 694, including one or more of temperature,humidity, air, oxygen, carbon monoxide, smoke, and other environmentalcondition sensors may be used in a vehicle 104. These environmentalsensors 694 may be used to collect data relating to the safety, comfort,and/or condition of the interior space 108 of the vehicle 104. Amongother things, the data collected by the environmental sensors 694 may beused by the vehicle control system 204 to alter functions of a vehicle.The environment may correspond to an interior space 108 of a vehicle 104and/or specific areas 508 and/or zones 512 of the vehicle 104. It shouldbe appreciate that an environment may correspond to a user 216. Forexample, a low oxygen environment may be detected by the environmentalsensors 694 and associated with a user 216 who is operating the vehicle104 in a particular zone 512. In response to detecting the low oxygenenvironment, at least one of the subsystems of the vehicle 104, asprovided herein, may alter the environment, especially in the particularzone 512, to increase the amount of oxygen in the zone 512. Additionallyor alternatively, the environmental sensors 694 may be used to reportconditions associated with a vehicle (e.g., fire detected, low oxygen,low humidity, high carbon monoxide, etc.). The conditions may bereported to a user 216 and/or a third party via at least onecommunications module as provided herein.

Among other things, the sensors as disclosed herein may communicate witheach other, with devices 212, 248, and/or with the vehicle controlsystem 204 via the signal carrier network 224. Additionally oralternatively, the sensors disclosed herein may serve to provide datarelevant to more than one category of sensor information including, butnot limited to, combinations of environmental information, userinformation, and safety information to name a few.

FIGS. 7A-7B show block diagrams of various sensors that may beassociated with a vehicle 104. Although depicted as interior andexterior sensors, it should be appreciated that any of the one or moreof the sensors shown may be used in both the interior space 108 and theexterior space of the vehicle 104. Moreover, sensors having the samesymbol or name may include the same, or substantially the same,functionality as those sensors described elsewhere in the presentdisclosure. Further, although the various sensors are depicted inconjunction with specific groups (e.g., environmental 708, 708E, userinterface 712, safety 716, 716E, etc.) the sensors should not be limitedto the groups in which they appear. In other words, the sensors may beassociated with other groups or combinations of groups and/ordisassociated from one or more of the groups shown. The sensors asdisclosed herein may communicate with each other, the devices 212, 248,and/or the vehicle control system 204 via one or more communicationschannel(s) 356.

FIG. 7A is a block diagram of an embodiment of interior sensors 340 fora vehicle 104 is provided. The interior sensors 340 may be arranged intoone or more groups, based at least partially on the function of theinterior sensors 340. The interior space 108 of a vehicle 104 mayinclude an environmental group 708, a user interface group 712, and asafety group 716. Additionally or alternatively, there may be sensorsassociated with various devices inside the vehicle (e.g., devices 212,248, smart phones, tablets, mobile computers, etc.)

The environmental group 708 may comprise sensors configured to collectdata relating to the internal environment of a vehicle 104. It isanticipated that the environment of the vehicle 104 may be subdividedinto areas 508 and zones 512 in an interior space 108 of a vehicle 104.In this case, each area 508 and/or zone 512 may include one or more ofthe environmental sensors. Examples of environmental sensors associatedwith the environmental group 708 may include, but are not limited to,oxygen/air sensors 724, temperature sensors 728, humidity sensors 732,light/photo sensors 736, and more. The oxygen/air sensors 724 may beconfigured to detect a quality of the air in the interior space 108 ofthe vehicle 104 (e.g., ratios and/or types of gasses comprising the airinside the vehicle 104, dangerous gas levels, safe gas levels, etc.).Temperature sensors 728 may be configured to detect temperature readingsof one or more objects, users 216, and/or areas 508 of a vehicle 104.Humidity sensors 732 may detect an amount of water vapor present in theair inside the vehicle 104. The light/photo sensors 736 can detect anamount of light present in the vehicle 104. Further, the light/photosensors 736 may be configured to detect various levels of lightintensity associated with light in the vehicle 104.

The user interface group 712 may comprise sensors configured to collectdata relating to one or more users 216 in a vehicle 104. As can beappreciated, the user interface group 712 may include sensors that areconfigured to collect data from users 216 in one or more areas 508 andzones 512 of the vehicle 104. For example, each area 508 and/or zone 512of the vehicle 104 may include one or more of the sensors in the userinterface group 712. Examples of user interface sensors associated withthe user interface group 712 may include, but are not limited to,infrared sensors 740, motion sensors 744, weight sensors 748, wirelessnetwork sensors 752, biometric sensors 756, camera (or image) sensors760, audio sensors 764, and more.

Infrared sensors 740 may be used to measure IR light irradiating from atleast one surface, user 216, or other object in the vehicle 104. Amongother things, the Infrared sensors 740 may be used to measuretemperatures, form images (especially in low light conditions), identifyusers 216, and even detect motion in the vehicle 104.

The motion sensors 744 may be similar to the motion detectors 624A-B, asdescribed in conjunction with FIG. 6B. Weight sensors 748 may beemployed to collect data relating to objects and/or users 216 in variousareas 508 of the vehicle 104. In some cases, the weight sensors 748 maybe included in the seats and/or floor of a vehicle 104.

Optionally, the vehicle 104 may include a wireless network sensor 752.This sensor 752 may be configured to detect one or more wirelessnetwork(s) inside the vehicle 104. Examples of wireless networks mayinclude, but are not limited to, wireless communications utilizingBluetooth®, Wi-Fi™, ZigBee, IEEE 802.11, and other wireless technologystandards. For example, a mobile hotspot may be detected inside thevehicle 104 via the wireless network sensor 752. In this case, thevehicle 104 may determine to utilize and/or share the mobile hotspotdetected via/with one or more other devices 212, 248 and/or componentsassociated with the vehicle 104.

Biometric sensors 756 may be employed to identify and/or recordcharacteristics associated with a user 216. It is anticipated thatbiometric sensors 756 can include at least one of image sensors, IRsensors, fingerprint readers, weight sensors, load cells, forcetransducers, heart rate monitors, blood pressure monitors, and the likeas provided herein.

The camera sensors 760 may be similar to image sensors 622A-B, asdescribed in conjunction with FIG. 6B. Optionally, the camera sensorsmay record still images, video, and/or combinations thereof. The audiosensors 764 may be similar to the interior sound receivers 692A-B, asdescribed in conjunction with FIGS. 6A-6B. The audio sensors may beconfigured to receive audio input from a user 216 of the vehicle 104.The audio input from a user 216 may correspond to voice commands,conversations detected in the vehicle 104, phone calls made in thevehicle 104, and/or other audible expressions made in the vehicle 104.

The safety group 716 may comprise sensors configured to collect datarelating to the safety of a user 216 and/or one or more components of avehicle 104. The vehicle 104 may be subdivided into areas 508 and/orzones 512 in an interior space 108 of a vehicle 104 where each area 508and/or zone 512 may include one or more of the safety sensors providedherein. Examples of safety sensors associated with the safety group 716may include, but are not limited to, force sensors 768, mechanicalmotion sensors 772, orientation sensors 776, restraint sensors 780, andmore.

The force sensors 768 may include one or more sensors inside the vehicle104 configured to detect a force observed in the vehicle 104. Oneexample of a force sensor 768 may include a force transducer thatconverts measured forces (e.g., force, weight, pressure, etc.) intooutput signals.

Mechanical motion sensors 772 may correspond to encoders,accelerometers, damped masses, and the like. Optionally, the mechanicalmotion sensors 772 may be adapted to measure the force of gravity (i.e.,G-force) as observed inside the vehicle 104. Measuring the G-forceobserved inside a vehicle 104 can provide valuable information relatedto a vehicle's acceleration, deceleration, collisions, and/or forcesthat may have been suffered by one or more users 216 in the vehicle 104.As can be appreciated, the mechanical motion sensors 772 can be locatedin an interior space 108 or an exterior of the vehicle 104.

Orientation sensors 776 can include accelerometers, gyroscopes, magneticsensors, and the like that are configured to detect an orientationassociated with the vehicle 104. Similar to the mechanical motionsensors 772, the orientation sensors 776 can be located in an interiorspace 108 or an exterior of the vehicle 104.

The restraint sensors 780 may be similar to the safety restraint sensors679 as described in conjunction with FIGS. 6A-6B. These sensors 780 maycorrespond to sensors associated with one or more restraint devicesand/or systems in a vehicle 104. Seatbelts and airbags are examples ofrestraint devices and/or systems. As can be appreciated, the restraintdevices and/or systems may be associated with one or more sensors thatare configured to detect a state of the device/system. The state mayinclude extension, engagement, retraction, disengagement, deployment,and/or other electrical or mechanical conditions associated with thedevice/system.

The associated device sensors 720 can include any sensors that areassociated with a device 212, 248 in the vehicle 104. As previouslystated, typical devices 212, 248 may include smart phones, tablets,laptops, mobile computers, and the like. It is anticipated that thevarious sensors associated with these devices 212, 248 can be employedby the vehicle control system 204. For example, a typical smart phonecan include, an image sensor, an IR sensor, audio sensor, gyroscope,accelerometer, wireless network sensor, fingerprint reader, and more. Itis an aspect of the present disclosure that one or more of theseassociated device sensors 720 may be used by one or more subsystems ofthe vehicle system 200.

In FIG. 7B, a block diagram of an embodiment of exterior sensors 340 fora vehicle 104 is shown. The exterior sensors may include sensors thatare identical, or substantially similar, to those previously disclosedin conjunction with the interior sensors of FIG. 7A. Optionally, theexterior sensors 340 may be configured to collect data relating to oneor more conditions, objects, users 216, and other events that areexternal to the interior space 108 of the vehicle 104. For instance, theoxygen/air sensors 724 may measure a quality and/or composition of theair outside of a vehicle 104. As another example, the motion sensors 744may detect motion outside of a vehicle 104.

The external environmental group 708E may comprise sensors configured tocollect data relating to the external environment of a vehicle 104. Inaddition to including one or more of the sensors previously described,the external environmental group 708E may include additional sensors,such as, vehicle sensors 750, biological sensors, and wireless signalsensors 758. Vehicle sensors 750 can detect vehicles that are in anenvironment surrounding the vehicle 104. For example, the vehiclesensors 750 may detect vehicles in a first outside area 516, a secondoutside area 520, and/or combinations of the first and second outsideareas 516, 520. Optionally, the vehicle sensors 750 may include one ormore of RF sensors, IR sensors, image sensors, and the like to detectvehicles, people, hazards, etc. that are in an environment exterior tothe vehicle 104. Additionally or alternatively, the vehicle sensors 750can provide distance/directional information relating to a distance(e.g., distance from the vehicle 104 to the detected object) and/or adirection (e.g., direction of travel, etc.) associated with the detectedobject.

The biological sensors 754 may determine whether one or more biologicalentities (e.g., an animal, a person, a user 216, etc.) is in an externalenvironment of the vehicle 104. Additionally or alternatively, thebiological sensors 754 may provide distance information relating to adistance of the biological entity from the vehicle 104. Biologicalsensors 754 may include at least one of RF sensors, IR sensors, imagesensors and the like that are configured to detect biological entities.For example, an IR sensor may be used to determine that an object, orbiological entity, has a specific temperature, temperature pattern, orheat signature. Continuing this example, a comparison of the determinedheat signature may be compared to known heat signatures associated withrecognized biological entities (e.g., based on shape, locations oftemperature, and combinations thereof, etc.) to determine whether theheat signature is associated with a biological entity or an inanimate,or non-biological, object.

The wireless signal sensors 758 may include one or more sensorsconfigured to receive wireless signals from signal sources such asWi-Fi™ hotspots, cell towers, roadside beacons, other electronicroadside devices, and satellite positioning systems. Optionally, thewireless signal sensors 758 may detect wireless signals from one or moreof a mobile phone, mobile computer, keyless entry device, RFID device,near field communications (NFC) device, and the like.

The external safety group 716E may comprise sensors configured tocollect data relating to the safety of a user 216 and/or one or morecomponents of a vehicle 104. Examples of safety sensors associated withthe external safety group 716E may include, but are not limited to,force sensors 768, mechanical motion sensors 772, orientation sensors776, vehicle body sensors 782, and more. Optionally, the exterior safetysensors 716E may be configured to collect data relating to one or moreconditions, objects, vehicle components, and other events that areexternal to the vehicle 104. For instance, the force sensors 768 in theexternal safety group 716E may detect and/or record force informationassociated with the outside of a vehicle 104. For instance, if an objectstrikes the exterior of the vehicle 104, the force sensors 768 from theexterior safety group 716E may determine a magnitude, location, and/ortime associated with the strike.

The vehicle 104 may include a number of vehicle body sensors 782. Thevehicle body sensors 782 may be configured to measure characteristicsassociated with the body (e.g., body panels, components, chassis,windows, etc.) of a vehicle 104. For example, two vehicle body sensors782, including a first body sensor and a second body sensor, may belocated at some distance apart. Continuing this example, the first bodysensor may be configured to send an electrical signal across the body ofthe vehicle 104 to the second body sensor, or vice versa. Upon receivingthe electrical signal from the first body sensor, the second body sensormay record a detected current, voltage, resistance, and/or combinationsthereof associated with the received electrical signal. Values (e.g.,current, voltage, resistance, etc.) for the sent and received electricalsignal may be stored in a memory. These values can be compared todetermine whether subsequent electrical signals sent and receivedbetween vehicle body sensors 782 deviate from the stored values. Whenthe subsequent signal values deviate from the stored values, thedifference may serve to indicate damage and/or loss of a body component.Additionally or alternatively, the deviation may indicate a problem withthe vehicle body sensors 782. The vehicle body sensors 782 maycommunicate with each other, a vehicle control system 204, and/orsystems of the vehicle system 200 via a communications channel 356.Although described using electrical signals, it should be appreciatedthat alternative embodiments of the vehicle body sensors 782 may usesound waves and/or light to perform a similar function.

FIG. 8A is a block diagram of an embodiment of a media controllersubsystem 348 for a vehicle 104. The media controller subsystem 348 mayinclude, but is not limited to, a media controller 804, a mediaprocessor 808, a match engine 812, an audio processor 816, a speechsynthesis module 820, a network transceiver 824, a signal processingmodule 828, memory 832, and a language database 836. Optionally, themedia controller subsystem 348 may be configured as a dedicated bladethat implements the media-related functionality of the system 200.Additionally or alternatively, the media controller subsystem 348 canprovide voice input, voice output, library functions for multimedia, anddisplay control for various areas 508 and/or zones 512 of the vehicle104.

Optionally, the media controller subsystem 348 may include a local IPaddress (e.g., IPv4, IPv6, combinations thereof, etc.) and even aroutable, global unicast address. The routable, global unicast addressmay allow for direct addressing of the media controller subsystem 348for streaming data from Internet resources (e.g., cloud storage, useraccounts, etc.). It is anticipated, that the media controller subsystem348 can provide multimedia via at least one Internet connection, orwireless network communications module, associated with the vehicle 104.Moreover, the media controller subsystem 348 may be configured toservice multiple independent clients simultaneously.

The media processor 808 may comprise a general purpose programmableprocessor or controller for executing application programming orinstructions related to the media subsystem 348. The media processor 808may include multiple processor cores, and/or implement multiple virtualprocessors. Optionally, the media processor 808 may include multiplephysical processors. By way of example, the media processor 808 maycomprise a specially configured application specific integrated circuit(ASIC) or other integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, acontroller, a hardwired electronic or logic circuit, a programmablelogic device or gate array, a special purpose computer, or the like. Themedia processor 808 generally functions to run programming code orinstructions implementing various functions of the media controller 804.

The match engine 812 can receive input from one or more components ofthe vehicle system 800 and perform matching functions. Optionally, thematch engine 812 may receive audio input provided via a microphone 886of the system 800. The audio input may be provided to the mediacontroller subsystem 348 where the audio input can be decoded andmatched, via the match engine 812, to one or more functions available tothe vehicle 104. Similar matching operations may be performed by thematch engine 812 relating to video input received via one or more imagesensors, cameras 878, and the like.

The media controller subsystem 348 may include a speech synthesis module820 configured to provide audio output to one or more speakers 880, oraudio output devices, associated with the vehicle 104. Optionally, thespeech synthesis module 820 may be configured to provide audio outputbased at least partially on the matching functions performed by thematch engine 812.

As can be appreciated, the coding/decoding, the analysis of audioinput/output, and/or other operations associated with the match engine812 and speech synthesis module 820, may be performed by the mediaprocessor 808 and/or a dedicated audio processor 816. The audioprocessor 816 may comprise a general purpose programmable processor orcontroller for executing application programming or instructions relatedto audio processing. Further, the audio processor 816 may be similar tothe media processor 808 described herein.

The network transceiver 824 can include any device configured totransmit and receive analog and/or digital signals. Optionally, themedia controller subsystem 348 may utilize a network transceiver 824 inone or more communication networks associated with the vehicle 104 toreceive and transmit signals via the communications channel 356.Additionally or alternatively, the network transceiver 824 may acceptrequests from one or more devices 212, 248 to access the mediacontroller subsystem 348. One example of the communication network is alocal-area network (LAN). As can be appreciated, the functionalityassociated with the network transceiver 824 may be built into at leastone other component of the vehicle 104 (e.g., a network interface card,communications module, etc.).

The signal processing module 828 may be configured to alteraudio/multimedia signals received from one or more input sources (e.g.,microphones 886, etc.) via the communications channel 356. Among otherthings, the signal processing module 828 may alter the signals receivedelectrically, mathematically, combinations thereof, and the like.

The media controller 804 may also include memory 832 for use inconnection with the execution of application programming or instructionsby the media processor 808, and for the temporary or long term storageof program instructions and/or data. As examples, the memory 832 maycomprise RAM, DRAM, SDRAM, or other solid state memory.

The language database 836 may include the data and/or libraries for oneor more languages, as are used to provide the language functionality asprovided herein. In one case, the language database 836 may be loaded onthe media controller 804 at the point of manufacture. Optionally, thelanguage database 836 can be modified, updated, and/or otherwise changedto alter the data stored therein. For instance, additional languages maybe supported by adding the language data to the language database 836.In some cases, this addition of languages can be performed via accessingadministrative functions on the media controller 804 and loading the newlanguage modules via wired (e.g., USB, etc.) or wireless communication.In some cases, the administrative functions may be available via avehicle console device 248, a user device 212, 248, and/or other mobilecomputing device that is authorized to access administrative functions(e.g., based at least partially on the device's address, identification,etc.).

One or more video controllers 840 may be provided for controlling thevideo operation of the devices 212, 248, 882 associated with thevehicle. Optionally, the video controller 840 may include a displaycontroller for controlling the operation of touch sensitive screens,including input (touch sensing) and output (display) functions. Videodata may include data received in a stream and unpacked by a processorand loaded into a display buffer. In this example, the processor andvideo controller 840 can optimize the display based on thecharacteristics of a screen of a display device 212, 248, 882. Thefunctions of a touch screen controller may be incorporated into othercomponents, such as a media processor 808 or display subsystem.

The audio controller 844 can provide control of the audio entertainmentsystem (e.g., radio, subscription music service, multimediaentertainment, etc.), and other audio associated with the vehicle 104(e.g., navigation systems, vehicle comfort systems, convenience systems,etc.). Optionally, the audio controller 844 may be configured totranslate digital signals to analog signals and vice versa. As can beappreciated, the audio controller 844 may include device drivers thatallow the audio controller 844 to communicate with other components ofthe system 800 (e.g., processors 816, 808, audio I/O 874, and the like).

The system 800 may include a profile identification module 848 todetermine whether a user profile is associated with the vehicle 104.Among other things, the profile identification module 848 may receiverequests from a user 216, or device 212, 228, 248, to access a profilestored in a profile database 856 or profile data 252. Additionally oralternatively, the profile identification module 848 may request profileinformation from a user 216 and/or a device 212, 228, 248, to access aprofile stored in a profile database 856 or profile data 252. In anyevent, the profile identification module 848 may be configured tocreate, modify, retrieve, and/or store user profiles in the profiledatabase 856 and/or profile data 252. The profile identification module848 may include rules for profile identification, profile informationretrieval, creation, modification, and/or control of components in thesystem 800.

By way of example, a user 216 may enter the vehicle 104 with a smartphone or other device 212. In response to determining that a user 216 isinside the vehicle 104, the profile identification module 848 maydetermine that a user profile is associated with the user's smart phone212. As another example, the system 800 may receive information about auser 216 (e.g., from a camera 878, microphone 886, etc.), and, inresponse to receiving the user information, the profile identificationmodule 848 may refer to the profile database 856 to determine whetherthe user information matches a user profile stored in the database 856.It is anticipated that the profile identification module 848 maycommunicate with the other components of the system to load one or morepreferences, settings, and/or conditions based on the user profile.Further, the profile identification module 848 may be configured tocontrol components of the system 800 based on user profile information.

Optionally, data storage 852 may be provided. Like the memory 832, thedata storage 852 may comprise a solid state memory device or devices.Alternatively or in addition, the data storage 852 may comprise a harddisk drive or other random access memory. Similar to the data storage852, the profile database 856 may comprise a solid state memory deviceor devices.

An input/output module 860 and associated ports may be included tosupport communications over wired networks or links, for example withother communication devices, server devices, and/or peripheral devices.Examples of an input/output module 860 include an Ethernet port, aUniversal Serial Bus (USB) port, CAN Bus, Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers (IEEE) 1594, or other interface. Users may bringtheir own devices (e.g., Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), device 212, etc.)into the vehicle 104 for use with the various systems disclosed.Although most BYOD devices can connect to the vehicle systems (e.g., themedia controller subsystem 348, etc.) via wireless communicationsprotocols (e.g., Wi-Fi™, Bluetooth®, etc.) many devices may require adirect connection via USB, or similar. In any event, the input/outputmodule 860 can provide the necessary connection of one or more devicesto the vehicle systems described herein.

A video input/output interface 864 can be included to receive andtransmit video signals between the various components in the system 800.Optionally, the video input/output interface 864 can operate withcompressed and uncompressed video signals. The video input/outputinterface 864 can support high data rates associated with image capturedevices. Additionally or alternatively, the video input/output interface864 may convert analog video signals to digital signals.

The infotainment system 870 may include information media content and/orentertainment content, informational devices, entertainment devices, andthe associated programming therefor. Optionally, the infotainment system870 may be configured to handle the control of one or more components ofthe system 800 including, but in no way limited to, radio, streamingaudio/video devices, audio devices 880, 882, 886, video devices 878,882, travel devices (e.g., GPS, navigational systems, etc.), wirelesscommunication devices, network devices, and the like. Further, theinfotainment system 870 can provide the functionality associated withother infotainment features as provided herein.

An audio input/output interface 874 can be included to provide analogaudio to an interconnected speaker 880 or other device, and to receiveanalog audio input from a connected microphone 886 or other device. Asan example, the audio input/output interface 874 may comprise anassociated amplifier and analog to digital converter. Alternatively orin addition, the devices 212, 248 can include integrated audioinput/output devices 880, 886 and/or an audio jack for interconnectingan external speaker 880 or microphone 886. For example, an integratedspeaker 880 and an integrated microphone 886 can be provided, to supportnear talk, voice commands, spoken information exchange, and/or speakerphone operations.

Among other things, the system 800 may include devices that are part ofthe vehicle 104 and/or part of a device 212, 248 that is associated withthe vehicle 104. For instance, these devices may be configured tocapture images, display images, capture sound, and present sound.Optionally, the system 800 may include at least one of imagesensors/cameras 878, display devices 882, audio inputdevices/microphones 886, and audio output devices/speakers 880. Thecameras 878 can be included for capturing still and/or video images.Alternatively or in addition, image sensors 878 can include a scanner orcode reader. An image sensor/camera 878 can include or be associatedwith additional elements, such as a flash or other light source. In somecases, the display device 882 may include an audio input device and/oran audio output device in addition to providing video functions. Forinstance, the display device 882 may be a console, monitor, a tabletcomputing device, and/or some other mobile computing device.

FIG. 8B is a block diagram of an embodiment of a user/device interactionsubsystem 817 in a vehicle system 800. The user/device interactionsubsystem 817 may comprise hardware and/or software that conduct variousoperations for or with the vehicle 104. For instance, the user/deviceinteraction subsystem 817 may include at least one user interactionsubsystem 332 and device interaction subsystem 352 as previouslydescribed. These operations may include, but are not limited to,providing information to the user 216, receiving input from the user216, and controlling the functions or operation of the vehicle 104, etc.Among other things, the user/device interaction subsystem 817 mayinclude a computing system operable to conduct the operations asdescribed herein.

Optionally, the user/device interaction subsystem 817 can include one ormore of the components and modules provided herein. For instance, theuser/device interaction subsystem 817 can include one or more of a videoinput/output interface 864, an audio input/output interface 874, asensor module 814, a device interaction module 818, a useridentification module 822, a vehicle control module 826, anenvironmental control module 830, and a gesture control module 834. Theuser/device interaction subsystem 817 may be in communication with otherdevices, modules, and components of the system 800 via thecommunications channel 356.

The user/device interaction subsystem 817 may be configured to receiveinput from a user 216 and/or device via one or more components of thesystem. By way of example, a user 216 may provide input to theuser/device interaction subsystem 817 via wearable devices 802, 806,810, video input (e.g., via at least one image sensor/camera 878, etc.)audio input (e.g., via the microphone, audio input source, etc.),gestures (e.g., via at least one image sensor 878, motion sensor 888,etc.), device input (e.g., via a device 212, 248 associated with theuser, etc.), combinations thereof, and the like.

The wearable devices 802, 806, 810 can include heart rate monitors,blood pressure monitors, glucose monitors, pedometers, movement sensors,wearable computers, and the like. Examples of wearable computers may beworn by a user 216 and configured to measure user activity, determineenergy spent based on the measured activity, track user sleep habits,determine user oxygen levels, monitor heart rate, provide alarmfunctions, and more. It is anticipated that the wearable devices 802,806, 810 can communicate with the user/device interaction subsystem 817via wireless communications channels or direct connection (e.g., wherethe device docks, or connects, with a USB port or similar interface ofthe vehicle 104).

A sensor module 814 may be configured to receive and/or interpret inputprovided by one or more sensors in the vehicle 104. In some cases, thesensors may be associated with one or more user devices (e.g., wearabledevices 802, 806, 810, smart phones 212, mobile computing devices 212,248, and the like). Optionally, the sensors may be associated with thevehicle 104, as described in conjunction with FIGS. 6A-7B.

The device interaction module 818 may communicate with the variousdevices as provided herein. Optionally, the device interaction module818 can provide content, information, data, and/or media associated withthe various subsystems of the vehicle system 800 to one or more devices212, 248, 802, 806, 810, 882, etc. Additionally or alternatively, thedevice interaction module 818 may receive content, information, data,and/or media associated with the various devices provided herein.

The user identification module 822 may be configured to identify a user216 associated with the vehicle 104. The identification may be based onuser profile information that is stored in profile data 252. Forinstance, the user identification module 822 may receive characteristicinformation about a user 216 via a device, a camera, and/or some otherinput. The received characteristics may be compared to data stored inthe profile data 252. Where the characteristics match, the user 216 isidentified. As can be appreciated, where the characteristics do notmatch a user profile, the user identification module 822 may communicatewith other subsystems in the vehicle 104 to obtain and/or record profileinformation about the user 216. This information may be stored in amemory and/or the profile data storage 252.

The vehicle control module 826 may be configured to control settings,features, and/or the functionality of a vehicle 104. In some cases, thevehicle control module 826 can communicate with the vehicle controlsystem 204 to control critical functions (e.g., driving system controls,braking, accelerating, etc.) and/or noncritical functions (e.g., drivingsignals, indicator/hazard lights, mirror controls, window actuation,etc.) based at least partially on user/device input received by theuser/device interaction subsystem 817.

The environmental control module 830 may be configured to controlsettings, features, and/or other conditions associated with theenvironment, especially the interior environment, of a vehicle 104.Optionally, the environmental control module 830 may communicate withthe climate control system (e.g. changing cabin temperatures, fanspeeds, air direction, etc.), oxygen and/or air quality control system(e.g., increase/decrease oxygen in the environment, etc.), interiorlighting (e.g., changing intensity of lighting, color of lighting,etc.), an occupant seating system 648 (e.g., adjusting seat position,firmness, height, etc.), steering wheel 640 (e.g., position adjustment,etc.), infotainment/entertainment system (e.g., adjust volume levels,display intensity adjustment, change content, etc.), and/or othersystems associated with the vehicle environment. Additionally oralternatively, these systems can provide input, set-points, and/orresponses, to the environmental control module 830. As can beappreciated, the environmental control module 830 may control theenvironment based at least partially on user/device input received bythe user/device interaction subsystem 817.

The gesture control module 834 is configured to interpret gesturesprovided by a user 216 in the vehicle 104. Optionally, the gesturecontrol module 834 may provide control signals to one or more of thevehicle systems 300 disclosed herein. For example, a user 216 mayprovide gestures to control the environment, critical and/or noncriticalvehicle functions, the infotainment system, communications, networking,and more. Optionally, gestures may be provided by a user 216 anddetected via one or more of the sensors as described in conjunction withFIGS. 6B-7A. As another example, one or more motion sensors 888 mayreceive gesture input from a user 216 and provide the gesture input tothe gesture control module 834. Continuing this example, the gestureinput is interpreted by the gesture control module 834. Thisinterpretation may include comparing the gesture input to gesturesstored in a memory. The gestures stored in memory may include one ormore functions and/or controls mapped to specific gestures. When a matchis determined between the detected gesture input and the stored gestureinformation, the gesture control module 834 can provide a control signalto any of the systems/subsystems as disclosed herein.

FIG. 8C illustrates a GPS/Navigation subsystem(s) 336. The Navigationsubsystem(s) 336 can be any present or future-built navigation systemthat may use location data, for example, from the Global PositioningSystem (GPS), to provide navigation information or control the vehicle104. The Navigation subsystem(s) 336 can include several components ormodules, such as, one or more of, but not limited to, a GPSAntenna/receiver 892, a location module 896, a maps database 8100, anautomobile controller 8104, a vehicle systems transceiver 8108, atraffic controller 8112, a network traffic transceiver 8116, avehicle-to-vehicle transceiver 8120, a traffic information database8124, etc. Generally, the several components or modules 892-8124 may behardware, software, firmware, computer readable media, or combinationsthereof.

A GPS Antenna/receiver 892 can be any antenna, GPS puck, and/or receivercapable of receiving signals from a GPS satellite or other navigationsystem, as mentioned hereinbefore. The signals may be demodulated,converted, interpreted, etc. by the GPS Antenna/receiver 892 andprovided to the location module 896. Thus, the GPS Antenna/receiver 892may convert the time signals from the GPS system and provide a location(e.g., coordinates on a map) to the location module 896. Alternatively,the location module 896 can interpret the time signals into coordinatesor other location information.

The location module 896 can be the controller of the satellitenavigation system designed for use in automobiles. The location module896 can acquire position data, as from the GPS Antenna/receiver 892, tolocate the user or vehicle 104 on a road in the unit's map database8100. Using the road database 8100, the location module 896 can givedirections to other locations along roads also in the database 8100.When a GPS signal is not available, the location module 896 may applydead reckoning to estimate distance data from sensors 242 including oneor more of, but not limited to, a speed sensor attached to the drivetrain of the vehicle 104, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, etc. GPS signalloss and/or multipath can occur due to urban canyons, tunnels, and otherobstructions. Additionally or alternatively, the location module 896 mayuse known locations of Wi-Fi hotspots, cell tower data, etc. todetermine the position of the vehicle 104, such as by using timedifference of arrival (TDOA) and/or frequency difference of arrival(FDOA) techniques.

The maps database 8100 can include any hardware and/or software to storeinformation about maps, geographical information system information,location information, etc. The maps database 8100 can include any datadefinition or other structure to store the information. Generally, themaps database 8100 can include a road database that may include one ormore vector maps of areas of interest. Street names, street numbers,house numbers, and other information can be encoded as geographiccoordinates so that the user can find some desired destination by streetaddress. Points of interest (waypoints) can also be stored with theirgeographic coordinates. For example, a point of interest may includespeed cameras, fuel stations, public parking, and “parked here” (or “youparked here”) information. The map database contents can be produced orupdated by a server connected through a wireless system in communicationwith the Internet, even as the vehicle 104 is driven along existingstreets, yielding an up-to-date map.

An automobile controller 8104 can be any hardware and/or software thatcan receive instructions from the location module 896 or the trafficcontroller 8112 and operate the vehicle 104. The automobile controller8104 receives this information and data from the sensors 242 to operatethe vehicle 104 without driver input. Thus, the automobile controller8104 can drive the vehicle 104 along a route provided by the locationmodule 896. The route may be adjusted by information sent from thetraffic controller 8112. Discrete and real-time driving can occur withdata from the sensors 242. To operate the vehicle 104, the automobilecontroller 8104 can communicate with a vehicle systems transceiver 8108.

The vehicle systems transceiver 8108 can be any present orfuture-developed device that can comprise a transmitter and/or areceiver, which may be combined and can share common circuitry or asingle housing. The vehicle systems transceiver 8108 may communicate orinstruct one or more of the vehicle control subsystems 328. For example,the vehicle systems transceiver 8108 may send steering commands, asreceived from the automobile controller 8104, to an electronic steeringsystem, to adjust the steering of the vehicle 100 in real time. Theautomobile controller 8104 can determine the effect of the commandsbased on received sensor data 242 and can adjust the commands as needbe. The vehicle systems transceiver 8108 can also communicate with thebraking system, the engine and drive train to speed or slow the car, thesignals (e.g., turn signals and brake lights), the headlights, thewindshield wipers, etc. Any of these communications may occur over thecomponents or function as described in conjunction with FIG. 4.

A traffic controller 8112 can be any hardware and/or software that cancommunicate with an automated traffic system and adjust the function ofthe vehicle 104 based on instructions from the automated traffic system.An automated traffic system is a system that manages the traffic in agiven area. This automated traffic system can instruct cars to drive incertain lanes, instruct cars to raise or lower their speed, instruct acar to change their route of travel, instruct cars to communicate withother cars, etc. To perform these functions, the traffic controller 8112may register the vehicle 104 with the automated traffic system and thenprovide other information including the route of travel. The automatedtraffic system can return registration information and any requiredinstructions. The communications between the automated traffic systemand the traffic controller 8112 may be received and sent through anetwork traffic transceiver 8116.

The network traffic transceiver 8116 can be any present orfuture-developed device that can comprise a transmitter and/or areceiver, which may be combined and can share common circuitry or asingle housing. The network traffic transceiver 8116 may communicatewith the automated traffic system using any known or future-developed,protocol, standard, frequency, bandwidth range, etc. The network traffictransceiver 8116 enables the sending of information between the trafficcontroller 8112 and the automated traffic system.

The traffic controller 8112 can also communicate with another vehicle,which may be in physical proximity (i.e., within range of a wirelesssignal), using the vehicle-to-vehicle transceiver 8120. As with thenetwork traffic transceiver 8116, the vehicle-to-vehicle transceiver8120 can be any present or future-developed device that can comprise atransmitter and/or a receiver, which may be combined and can sharecommon circuitry or a single housing. Generally, the vehicle-to-vehicletransceiver 8120 enables communication between the vehicle 104 and anyother vehicle. These communications allow the vehicle 104 to receivetraffic or safety information, control or be controlled by anothervehicle, establish an alternative communication path to communicate withthe automated traffic system, establish a node including two or morevehicle that can function as a unit, etc. The vehicle-to-vehicletransceiver 8120 may communicate with the other vehicles using any knownor future-developed, protocol standard, frequency, bandwidth range, etc.

The traffic controller 8112 can control functions of the automobilecontroller 8104 and communicate with the location module 896. Thelocation module 896 can provide current location information and routeinformation that the traffic controller 8112 may then provide to theautomated traffic system. The traffic controller 8112 may receive routeadjustments from the automated traffic system that are then sent to thelocation module 896 to change the route. Further, the traffic controller8112 can also send driving instructions to the automobile controller8104 to change the driving characteristics of the vehicle 104. Forexample, the traffic controller 8112 can instruct the automobilecontroller 8104 to accelerate or decelerate to a different speed, changelanes, or perform another driving maneuver. The traffic controller 8112can also manage vehicle-to-vehicle communications and store informationabout the communications or other information in the traffic informationdatabase 8124.

The traffic information database 8124 can be any type of database, suchas relational, hierarchical, object-oriented, and/or the like. Thetraffic information database 8124 may reside on a storage medium localto (and/or resident in) the vehicle control system 204 or in the vehicle104. The traffic information database 8124 may be adapted to store,update, and retrieve information about communications with othervehicles or any active instructions from the automated traffic system.This information may be used by the traffic controller 8112 to instructor adjust the performance of driving maneuvers.

FIG. 9 illustrates an optional communications architecture where, thehost device 908 may include one more routing profiles, permissionmodules, and rules that control how communications within the vehicle104 are to occur. This communications architecture can be used inconjunction with the routing tables, rules and permissions associatedwith access point 456 and optional firewall 484, or can be in lieuthereof. For example, the host device 908 acts as a mobile hot spot toone or more other devices within vehicle 104, such as, other device 1912, other device 2 916, other device 3 920, and other device N 924.Optionally, one or more of the other devices 912 can communicatedirectly with the host device 908 which then provides Internet access tothose devices 912 via the device 908. The host device 908 can act as amobile hot spot for any one or more of the other devices 912, which maynot need to communicate over the network/communications buses 224/404,but could instead connect directly to the host device 908 via, forexample, NFC, Bluetooth®, WiFi, or the like. When the device 908 isacting as the host device, the device 908 can include one or morerouting profiles, permissions, rules modules, and can also act as afirewall for the various inter and intra vehicle communications.

As will be appreciated, there could be alternative host devices, suchas, host 904 which could also act as, for example, a co-host inassociation with device 908. Optionally, one or more of the routingprofile, permission information, and rules could be shared between theco-host devices 904, 908, both of those devices being usable forInternet access for one or more of the other devices, 912-924. As willbe appreciated, the other devices 912-924 need not necessarily connectto one or more of host device 908 and the other device 904 via a directcommunications link, but could also interface with those devices 904,908 utilizing the network/communications buses 224/404 associated withthe vehicle 100. As previously discussed, one or more of the otherdevices can connect to the network/communications buses 224/404utilizing the various networks and/or buses discussed herein which wouldtherefore enable, for example, regulation of the various communicationsbased on the Ethernet zone that the other device 912 is associated with.

An embodiment of one or more modules that may be associated with thevehicle control system 204 may be as shown in FIG. 10. The modules caninclude a communication subsystem interface 1008 in communication withan operating system 1004. The communications may pass through a firewall1044. The firewall 1044 can be any software that can control theincoming and outgoing communications by analyzing the data packets anddetermining whether the packets should be allowed through the firewall,based on applied rule set. A firewall 1044 can establish a “barrier”between a trusted, secure internal network and another network (e.g.,the Internet) that is not assumed to be secure and trusted.

In some situations, the firewall 1044 may establish security zones thatare implemented by running system services and/or applications inrestricted user groups and accounts. A set of configuration files andcallbacks may then be linked to an IP table firewall. The IP tablefirewall can be configured to notify a custom filter application at anyof the layers of the Ethernet packet. The different users/group rightsto access the system may include: system users, which may have exclusiveright over all device firewall rules and running software; a big-brotheruser, which may have access to on board device (OBD) control data andmay be able to communicate with the vehicle subsystem 328 and may beable to alter the parameters in the vehicle control system 204; a dealeruser, which can have rights to read OBD data for diagnostics andrepairs; a dashboard user, which can have rights to launch dashboardapplications and/or authenticate guest users and change theirpermissions to trusted/friend/family, and can read but cannot write intoOBD diagnostic data; a world wide web (WWW) data user, which can haveHTTP rights to respond to HTTP requests (the HTTP requests also cantarget different user data, but may be filtered by default useraccounts); a guest user, which may have no rights; a family/friend user,which may have rights to play media from the media subsystem 348 and/orto stream media to the media subsystem 348.

The operating system 1004 can be a collection of software that managescomputer hardware resources and provides common services forapplications and other programs. The operating system 1004 may scheduletime-sharing for efficient use of the system. For hardware functions,such as input, output, and memory allocation, the operating system 1004can act as an intermediary between applications or programs and thecomputer hardware. Examples of operating systems that may be deployed asoperating system 1004 include Android, BSD, iOS, Linux, OS X, QNX,Microsoft Windows, Windows Phone, IBM z/OS, etc.

The operating system 1004 can include one or more sub-modules. Forexample, a desktop manager 1012 can manage one or more graphical userinterfaces (GUI) in a desktop environment. Desktop GUIs can help theuser to easily access and edit files. A command-line interface (CLI) maybe used if full control over the operating system (OS) 1004 is required.The desktop manager 1012 is described further hereinafter.

A kernel 1028 can be a computer program that manages input/outputrequests from software and translates them into data processinginstructions for the processor 304 and other components of the vehiclecontrol system 204. The kernel 1028 is the fundamental component of theoperating system 1004 that can execute many of the functions associatedwith the OS 1004.

The kernel 1028 can include other software functions, including, but notlimited to, driver(s) 1056, communication software 1052, and/or InternetProtocol software 1048. A driver 1056 can be any computer program thatoperates or controls a particular type of device that is attached to avehicle control system 204. A driver 1056 can communicate with thedevice through the bus 356 or communications subsystem 1008 to which thehardware connects. When a calling program invokes a routine in thedriver 1056, the driver 1056 may issue one or more commands to thedevice. Once the device sends data back to the driver 1056, the driver1056 may invoke routines in the original calling program. Drivers can behardware-dependent and operating-system-specific. Driver(s) 1056 canprovide the interrupt handling required for any necessary asynchronoustime-dependent hardware interface.

The IP module 1048 can conduct any IP addressing, which may include theassignment of IP addresses and associated parameters to host interfaces.The address space may include networks and sub-networks. The IP module1048 can perform the designation of network or routing prefixes and mayconduct IP routing, which transports packets across network boundaries.Thus, the IP module 1048 may perform all functions required for IPmulticast operations.

The communications module 1052 may conduct all functions forcommunicating over other systems or using other protocols not servicedby the IP module 1048. Thus, the communications module 1052 can managemulticast operations over other busses or networks not serviced by theIP module 1048. Further, the communications module 1052 may perform ormanage communications to one or more devices, systems, data stores,services, etc. that are in communication with the vehicle control system204 or other subsystems through the firewall 1044. Thus, thecommunications module 1052 can conduct communications through thecommunication subsystem interface 1008.

A file system 1016 may be any data handling software that can controlhow data is stored and retrieved. The file system 1016 can separate thestored data into individual pieces, and giving each piece a name, caneasily separate and identify the pieces of data. Each piece of data maybe considered a “file”. The file system 1016 can construct datastructure and logic rules used to manage the information and theidentifiers for the information. The structure and logic rules can beconsidered a “file system.”

A device discovery daemon 1020 may be a computer program that runs as abackground process that can discover new devices that connect with thenetwork 356 or communication subsystem 1008 or devices that disconnectfrom the network 356 or communication subsystem 1008. The devicediscovery daemon 1020 can ping the network 356 (the local subnet) whenthe vehicle 104 starts, when a vehicle door opens or closes, or upon theoccurrence of other events. Additionally or alternatively, the devicediscovery daemon 1020 may force Bluetooth®, USB, and/or wirelessdetection. For each device that responds to the ping, the devicediscovery daemon 1020 can populate the system data 208 with deviceinformation and capabilities, using any of one or more protocols,including one or more of, but not limited to, IPv6 Hop-by-Hop Option(HOPOPT), Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), Internet GroupManagement Protocol (IGMP), Gateway-to-Gateway Protocol (GGP), InternetProtocol (IP), Internet Stream Protocol (ST), Transmission ControlProtocol (TCP), Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP), CHAOS, User DatagramProtocol (UDP), etc.

For example, the device discovery daemon 1020 can determine devicecapabilities based on the opened ports the device exposes. If a cameraexposes port 80, then the device discovery daemon 1020 can determinethat the camera is using a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).Alternatively, if a device is supporting Universal Plug and Play (UPnP),the system data 208 can include more information, for example, a cameracontrol universal resource locator (URL), a camera zoom URL, etc. When ascan stops, the device discovery daemon 1020 can trigger a dashboardrefresh to ensure the user interface reflects the new devices on thedesktop.

A desktop manager 1012 may be a computer program that manages the userinterface of the vehicle control system 204. The desktop environment maybe designed to be customizable and allow the definition of the desktopconfiguration look-and-feel for a wide range of appliances or devicesfrom computer desktops, mobile devices, computer tablets, etc.Launcher(s), panels, desktop areas, the desktop background,notifications, panes, etc., can be configured from a dashboardconfiguration file managed by the desktop manager 1012. The graphicalelements in which the desktop manager 1012 controls can includelaunchers, the desktop, notification bars, etc.

The desktop may be an area of the display where the applications arerunning. The desktop can have a custom background. Further, the desktopmay be divided into two or more areas. For example, the desktop may bedivided into an upper half of a display and a lower half of the display.Each application can be configured to run in a portion of the desktop.Extended settings can be added to the desktop configuration file, suchthat, some objects may be displayed over the whole desktop or in customsize out of the context of the divided areas.

The notification bar may be a part of a bar display system, which mayprovide notifications by displaying, for example, icons and/or pop-upwindows that may be associated with sound notifications. Thenotification mechanism can be designed for separate plug-ins, which runin separate processes and may subscribe to a system Intelligent InputBus (IBUS)/D-BUS event service. The icons on the notifications bar canbe accompanied with application short-cuts to associated applications,for example, a Bluetooth® manager, a USB manager, radio volume and ortone control, a security firewall, etc.

The desktop manager 1012 may include a windows manager 1032, anapplication launcher 1036, and/or a panel launcher 1040. Each of thesecomponents can control a different aspect of the user interface. Thedesktop manager 1012 can use a root window to create panels that caninclude functionality for one or more of, but not limited to: launchingapplications, managing applications, providing notifications, etc.

The windows manager 1032 may be software that controls the placement andappearance of windows within a graphical user interface presented to theuser. Generally, the windows manager 1032 can provide the desktopenvironment used by the vehicle control system 204. The windows manager1032 can communicate with the kernel 1028 to interface with thegraphical system that provides the user interface(s) and supports thegraphics hardware, pointing devices, keyboard, touch-sensitive screens,etc. The windows manager 1032 may be a tiling window manager (i.e., awindow manager with an organization of the screen into mutuallynon-overlapping frames, as opposed to a coordinate-based stacking ofoverlapping objects (windows) that attempts to fully emulate the desktopmetaphor). The windows manager 1032 may read and store configurationfiles, in the system data 208, which can control the position of theapplication windows at precise positions.

An application manager 1036 can control the function of any applicationover the lifetime of the process. The process or application can belaunched from a panel launcher 1040 or from a remote console. Theapplication manager 1036 can intercept the process name and may takeappropriate action to manage that process. If the process is notrunning, the application manager 1036 can load the process and may bringthe process to a foreground in a display. The application manager 1036may also notify the windows manager 1032 to bring the associatedwindow(s) to a top of a window stack for the display. When a processstarts from a shell or a notification out of the context of the desktop,the application manager 1036 can scan files to match the process namewith the entry name provided. When a match is found, the applicationmanager 1036 can configure the process according to a settings file.

In some situations, the application manager 1036 may restrict anapplication as singleton (i.e., restricts the instantiation of a classto one object). If an application is already running and the applicationmanager 1036 is asked to run the application again, the applicationmanager 1036 can bring the running process to a foreground on a display.There can be a notification event exchange between the windows manager1032 and the application manager 1036 for activating the appropriatewindow for the foreground process. Once an application is launched, theapplication may not be terminated or killed. The application can be sentto the background, except, possibly, for some applications (e.g., mediaplayer, Bluetooth®, notifications, etc.), which may be given a lowestprocess priority.

The panel launcher 1040 can be a widget configured to be placed along aportion of the display. The panel launcher 1040 may be built fromdesktop files from a desktop folder. The desktop folder location can beconfigured by a configuration file stored in system data 208. The panellauncher 1040 can allow for the launching or executing of applicationsor processes by receiving inputs from a user interface to launchprograms.

A desktop plugin 1024 may be a software component that allows forcustomization of the desktop or software interface through theinitiation of plug-in applications.

One or more gestures used to interface with the vehicle control system204 may be as described in conjunction with FIG. 11A through 11K. FIGS.11A through 11H depict various graphical representations of gestureinputs that may be recognized by the devices 212, 248. The gestures maybe performed not only by a user's body part, such as a digit, but alsoby other devices, such as a stylus, that may be sensed by the contactsensing portion(s) of a screen associated with the device 212, 248. Ingeneral, gestures are interpreted differently, based on where thegestures are performed (either directly on a display or in a gesturecapture region). For example, gestures in a display may be directed to adesktop or application, and gestures in a gesture capture region may beinterpreted as for the system.

With reference to FIGS. 11A-11H, a first type of gesture, a touchgesture 1120, is substantially stationary on a portion (e.g., a screen,a display, etc.) of a device 212, 248 for a selected length of time. Acircle 1128 represents a touch or other contact type received atparticular location of a contact sensing portion of the screen. Thecircle 1128 may include a border 1132, the thickness of which indicatesa length of time that the contact is held substantially stationary atthe contact location. For instance, a tap 1120 (or short press) has athinner border 1132A than the border 1132B for a long press 1124 (or fora normal press). The long press 1124 may involve a contact that remainssubstantially stationary on the screen for longer time period than thatof a tap 1120. As will be appreciated, differently defined gestures maybe registered depending upon the length of time that the touch remainsstationary prior to contact cessation or movement on the screen.

With reference to FIG. 11C, a drag gesture 1100 on the screen is aninitial contact (represented by circle 1128) with contact movement 1136in a selected direction. The initial contact 1128 may remain stationaryon the screen for a certain amount of time represented by the border1132. The drag gesture typically requires the user to contact an icon,window, or other displayed image at a first location followed bymovement of the contact in a drag direction to a new second locationdesired for the selected displayed image. The contact movement need notbe in a straight line but have any path of movement so long as thecontact is substantially continuous from the first to the secondlocations.

With reference to FIG. 11D, a flick gesture 1104 on the screen is aninitial contact (represented by circle 1128) with truncated contactmovement 1136 (relative to a drag gesture) in a selected direction. Aflick may have a higher exit velocity for the last movement in thegesture compared to the drag gesture. The flick gesture can, forinstance, be a finger snap following initial contact. Compared to a draggesture, a flick gesture generally does not require continual contactwith the screen from the first location of a displayed image to apredetermined second location. The contacted displayed image is moved bythe flick gesture in the direction of the flick gesture to thepredetermined second location. Although both gestures commonly can movea displayed image from a first location to a second location, thetemporal duration and distance of travel of the contact on the screen isgenerally less for a flick than for a drag gesture.

With reference to FIG. 11E, a pinch gesture 1108 on the screen isdepicted. The pinch gesture 1108 may be initiated by a first contact1128A to the screen by, for example, a first digit and a second contact1128B to the screen by, for example, a second digit. The first andsecond contacts 1128A,B may be detected by a common contact sensingportion of a common screen, by different contact sensing portions of acommon screen, or by different contact sensing portions of differentscreens. The first contact 1128A is held for a first amount of time, asrepresented by the border 1132A, and the second contact 1128B is heldfor a second amount of time, as represented by the border 1132B. Thefirst and second amounts of time are generally substantially the same,and the first and second contacts 1128A,B generally occur substantiallysimultaneously. The first and second contacts 1128A,B generally alsoinclude corresponding first and second contact movements 1136A,B,respectively. The first and second contact movements 1136A,B aregenerally in opposing directions. Stated another way, the first contactmovement 1136A is towards the second contact 1136B, and the secondcontact movement 1136B is towards the first contact 1136A. More simplystated, the pinch gesture 1108 may be accomplished by a user's digitstouching the screen in a pinching motion.

With reference to FIG. 11F, a spread gesture 1110 on the screen isdepicted. The spread gesture 1110 may be initiated by a first contact1128A to the screen by, for example, a first digit, and a second contact1128B to the screen by, for example, a second digit. The first andsecond contacts 1128A,B may be detected by a common contact sensingportion of a common screen, by different contact sensing portions of acommon screen, or by different contact sensing portions of differentscreens. The first contact 1128A is held for a first amount of time, asrepresented by the border 1132A, and the second contact 1128B is heldfor a second amount of time, as represented by the border 1132B. Thefirst and second amounts of time are generally substantially the same,and the first and second contacts 1128A,B generally occur substantiallysimultaneously. The first and second contacts 1128A,B generally alsoinclude corresponding first and second contact movements 1136A,B,respectively. The first and second contact movements 1136A,B aregenerally in an opposing direction. Stated another way, the first andsecond contact movements 1136A,B are away from the first and secondcontacts 1128A,B. More simply stated, the spread gesture 1110 may beaccomplished by a user's digits touching the screen in a spreadingmotion.

The above gestures may be combined in any manner, such as those shown byFIGS. 11G and 11H, to produce a determined functional result. Forexample, in FIG. 11G a tap gesture 1120 is combined with a drag or flickgesture 1112 in a direction away from the tap gesture 1120. In FIG. 11H,a tap gesture 1120 is combined with a drag or flick gesture 1116 in adirection towards the tap gesture 1120.

The functional result of receiving a gesture can vary depending on anumber of factors, including a state of the vehicle 104, display, orscreen of a device, a context associated with the gesture, or sensedlocation of the gesture, etc. The state of the vehicle 104 commonlyrefers to one or more of a configuration of the vehicle 104, a displayorientation, and user and other inputs received by the vehicle 104.Context commonly refers to one or more of the particular application(s)selected by the gesture and the portion(s) of the application currentlyexecuting, whether the application is a single- or multi-screenapplication, and whether the application is a multi-screen applicationdisplaying one or more windows. A sensed location of the gesturecommonly refers to whether the sensed set(s) of gesture locationcoordinates are on a touch sensitive display or a gesture capture regionof a device 212, 248, whether the sensed set(s) of gesture locationcoordinates are associated with a common or different display, orscreen, or device 212, 248, and/or what portion of the gesture captureregion contains the sensed set(s) of gesture location coordinates.

A tap, when received by a touch sensitive display of a device 212, 248,can be used, for instance, to select an icon to initiate or terminateexecution of a corresponding application, to maximize or minimize awindow, to reorder windows in a stack, and/or to provide user input suchas by keyboard display or other displayed image. A drag, when receivedby a touch sensitive display of a device 212, 248, can be used, forinstance, to relocate an icon or window to a desired location within adisplay, to reorder a stack on a display, or to span both displays (suchthat the selected window occupies a portion of each displaysimultaneously). A flick, when received by a touch sensitive display ofa device 212, 248 or a gesture capture region, can be used to relocate awindow from a first display to a second display or to span both displays(such that the selected window occupies a portion of each displaysimultaneously). Unlike the drag gesture, however, the flick gesture isgenerally not used to move the displayed image to a specificuser-selected location but to a default location that is notconfigurable by the user.

The pinch gesture, when received by a touch sensitive display or agesture capture region of a device 212, 248, can be used to minimize orotherwise increase the displayed area or size of a window (typicallywhen received entirely by a common display), to switch windows displayedat the top of the stack on each display to the top of the stack of theother display (typically when received by different displays orscreens), or to display an application manager (a “pop-up window” thatdisplays the windows in the stack). The spread gesture, when received bya touch sensitive display or a gesture capture region of a device 212,248, can be used to maximize or otherwise decrease the displayed area orsize of a window, to switch windows displayed at the top of the stack oneach display to the top of the stack of the other display (typicallywhen received by different displays or screens), or to display anapplication manager (typically when received by an off-screen gesturecapture region on the same or different screens).

The combined gestures of FIG. 11G, when received by a common displaycapture region in a common display or screen of a device 212, 248, canbe used to hold a first window location constant for a display receivingthe gesture while reordering a second window location to include awindow in the display receiving the gesture. The combined gestures ofFIG. 11H, when received by different display capture regions in a commondisplay or screen of a device 212, 248 or in different displays orscreens of one more devices 212, 248, can be used to hold a first windowlocation for a display receiving the tap part of the gesture whilereordering a second window location to include a window in the displayreceiving the flick or drag gesture. Although specific gestures andgesture capture regions in the preceding examples have been associatedwith corresponding sets of functional results, it is to be appreciatedthat these associations can be redefined in any manner to producediffering associations between gestures and/or gesture capture regionsand/or functional results.

Gestures that may be completed in three-dimensional space and not on atouch sensitive screen or gesture capture region of a device 212, 248may be as shown in FIGS. 11I-11K. The gestures may be completed in anarea where a sensor, such as an optical sensor, infrared sensor, orother type of sensor, may detect the gesture. For example, the gesture1140 in FIG. 11I may be executed by a person when the person opens theirhand 1164 and moves their hand in a back and forth direction 1148 as agesture 1140 to complete some function with the vehicle 104. For examplegesture 1140 may change the station of the radio in the vehicle 104. Thesensors 242 may both determine the configuration of the hand 1164 andthe vector of the movement. The vector and hand configuration can beinterpreted to mean certain things to the vehicle control system 204 andproduce different results.

In another example of a gesture 1152 in FIG. 11J, a user may configuretheir hand 1164 to extend two fingers and move the hand 1164 in an upand down operation 1156. This gesture 1152 may control the volume of theradio or some other function. For instance, this gesture 1152 may beconfigured to place the vehicle in a “valet” mode to, among otherthings, restrict access to certain features associated with the vehicle.Again, the sensors 242 may determine how the person has configured theirhand 1164, and the vector of the movement. In another example of agesture 1160 shown in FIG. 11K, a user may extend their middle threefingers at an angle that is substantially 45° for vertical from straightvertical and circle the hand in a counter-clockwise motion 1166. Thisgesture 1160 may cause the automobile to change the heat setting or dosome other function. As can be understood by one skilled in the art, theconfigurations of the hand and the types of movement are variable. Thus,the user may configure the hand 1164 in any way imaginable and may alsomove that hand 1164 in any direction with any vector inthree-dimensional space.

The gestures 1140, 1152, 1160, as shown in FIGS. 11I-11K, may occur in apredetermined volume of space within the vehicle 104. For example, asensor may be configured to identify such gestures 1140, 1152, 1160between the front passenger's and front driver's seats over a consolearea within the passenger compartment of the vehicle 104. The gestures1140, 1152, 1160 may be made within area 1 508A between zones A 512A andB 512B. However, there may be other areas 508 where a user may usecertain gestures, where sensors 242 may be able to determine a certainfunction is desired. Gestures that may be similar but used in differentareas within the vehicle 104 may cause different functions to beperformed. For example, the gesture 1140 in FIG. 11I, if used in zone E512E, may change the heat provided in zone E 512E, but may change thestation of a radio if used in zone A 512A and/or zone B 512B. Further,the gestures may be made with other body parts or, for example,different expressions of a person's face and may be used to controlfunctions in the vehicle 104. Also, the user may use two hands in somecircumstances or do other types of physical movements that can causedifferent reactions in the vehicle 104.

FIGS. 12A-12D show various embodiments of a data structure 1200 to storedifferent settings. The data structure 1200 may include one or more ofdata files or data objects 1204, 1250, 1270, 1280. Thus, the datastructure 1200 may represent different types of databases or datastorage, for example, object-oriented data bases, flat file datastructures, relational database, or other types of data storagearrangements. Embodiments of the data structure 1200 disclosed hereinmay be separate, combined, and/or distributed. As indicated in FIGS.12A-12D, there may be more or fewer portions in the data structure 1200,as represented by ellipses 1244. Further, there may be more or fewerfiles in the data structure 1200, as represented by ellipses 1248.

Referring to FIG. 12A, a first data structure is shown. The data file1204 may include several portions 1208-1242 representing different typesof data. Each of these types of data may be associated with a user, asshown in portion 1208.

There may be one or more user records 1240 and associated data storedwithin the data file 1204. As provided herein, the user can be anyperson that uses or rides within the vehicle or conveyance 104. The usermay be identified in portion 1212. For the vehicle 104, the user mayinclude a set of one or more features that may identify the user. Thesefeatures may be the physical characteristics of the person that may beidentified by facial recognition or some other type of system. In othersituations, the user may provide a unique code to the vehicle controlsystem 204 or provide some other type of data that allows the vehiclecontrol system 204 to identify the user. The features or characteristicsof the user are then stored in portion 1212.

Each user, identified in portion 1208, may have a different set ofsettings for each area 508 and/or each zone 512 within the vehicle 104.Thus, each set of settings may also be associated with a predeterminedzone 512 or area 508. The zone 512 is stored in portion 1220, and thearea 508 is stored in portion 1216.

One or more settings may be stored in portion 1224. These settings 1224may be the configurations of different functions within the vehicle 104that are specified by or for that user. For example, the settings 1224may be the position of a seat, the position of a steering wheel, theposition of accelerator and/or brake pedals, positions of mirrors, aheating/cooling setting, a radio setting, a cruise control setting, orsome other type of setting associated with the vehicle 104. Further, invehicles adapted to have a configurable console or a configurable dashor heads-up display, the settings 1224 may also provide for how thatheads-up display, dash, or console are configured for this particularuser.

Each setting 1224 may be associated with a different area 508 or zone512. Thus, there may be more settings 1224 for when the user is thedriver and in zone A 512A, 512A, of area 1, 508A. However, there may besimilar settings 1224 among the different zones 512 or areas 508 asshown in portion 1224. For example, the heating or radio settings forthe user may be similar in every zone 512.

The sensors 242 within the vehicle 104 may be able to either obtain ortrack health data in portion 1228. Health data 1228 may include any typeof physical characteristic associated with the user. For example, aheart rate, a blood pressure, a temperature, or other types of heathdata may be obtained and stored in portion 1228. The user may have thishealth data tracked over a period of time to allow for statisticalanalysis of the user's health while operating the vehicle 104. In thisway, if some function of the user's health deviates from a norm (e.g., abaseline measurement, average measurements taken over time, and thelike), the vehicle 104 may be able to determine there is a problem withthe person and react to that data.

One or more gestures may be stored in portion 1232. Thus, the gesturesused and described in conjunction FIG. 11A through 11K may beconfigurable. These gestures may be determined or created by the userand stored in portion 1132. A user may have different gestures for eachzone 512 or area 508 within the vehicle. The gestures that do certainthings while driving may do other things while in a different area 508of the vehicle 104. Thus, the user may use a first set of gestures whiledriving and a second set while a passenger. Further, one or more usersmay share gestures as shown in portion 1232. Each driver may have acommon set of gestures that they use in zone A 512A, 512A. Each of thesegestures may be determined or captured and then stored with theircharacteristics (e.g., vector, position of gesture, etc.) in portion1232.

One or more sets of safety parameters may be stored in portion 1236.Safety parameters 1236 may be common operating characteristics for thisdriver/passenger or for all drivers/passengers that if deviated from maydetermine there is a problem with the driver/passenger or the vehicle104. For example, a certain route may be taken repeatedly and an averagespeed or mean speed may be determined. If the mean speed deviates bysome number of standard deviations, a problem with the vehicle 104 orthe user may be determined. In another example, the healthcharacteristics or driving experience of the user may be determined. Ifthe user drives in a certain position where their head occupies acertain portion of three-dimensional space within the vehicle 104, thevehicle control system 204 may determine that the safety parameterincludes the users face or head being within this certain portion of thevehicle interior space. If the user's head deviates from that interiorspace for some amount of time, the vehicle control system 204 candetermine that something is wrong with the driver and change thefunction or operation of the vehicle 104 to assist the driver. This mayhappen, for example, when a user falls asleep at the wheel. If theuser's head droops and no longer occupies a certain three dimensionalspace, the vehicle control system 204 can determine that the driver hasfallen asleep and may take control of the operation of the vehicle 204and the automobile controller 8104 may steer the vehicle 204 to the sideof the road. In other examples, if the user's reaction time is too slowor some other safety parameter is not nominal, the vehicle controlsystem 204 may determine that the user is inebriated or having someother medical problem. The vehicle control system 204 may then assumecontrol of the vehicle to ensure that the driver is safe.

Information corresponding to a user and/or a user profile may be storedin the profile information portion 1238. For example, the profileinformation 1238 may include data relating to at least one of currentdata, historical data, a user preference, user habit, user routine,observation, location data (e.g., programmed and/or requesteddestinations, locations of parking, routes traveled, average drivingtime, etc.), social media connections, contacts, brand recognition(e.g., determined via one or more sensors associated with the vehicle104, a device 212, 248, etc.), audible recording data, text data, emaildata, political affiliation, preferred retail locations/sites (e.g.,physical locations, web-based locations, etc.), recent purchases,behavior associated with the aforementioned data, and the like. The datain the profile information portion 1238 may be stored in one or more ofthe data structures 1200 provided herein. As can be appreciated, theseone or more data structures may be stored in one or more memorylocations. Examples of various memory locations are described inconjunction with FIG. 2.

One or more additional data fields may be stored in the linked dataportion 1242 as data and/or locations of data. The linked data 1242 mayinclude at least one of pointers, addresses, location identification,data source information, and other information corresponding toadditional data associated with the data structure 1200. Optionally, thelinked data portion 1242 may refer to data stored outside of aparticular data structure 1200. For example, the linked data portion1242 may include a link/locator to the external data. Continuing thisexample, the link/locator may be resolved (e.g., via one or more of themethods and/or systems provided herein, etc.) to access the data storedoutside of the data structure 1200. Additionally or alternatively, thelinked data portion 1242 may include information configured to link thedata objects 1204 to other data files or data objects 1250, 1270, 1280.For instance, the data object 1204 relating to a user may be linked toat least one of a device data object 1250, a vehicle system data object1270, and a vehicle data object 1280, to name a few.

An embodiment of a data structure 1200 to store information associatedwith one or more devices is shown in FIG. 12B. The data file 1250 mayinclude several portions 1216-1262 representing different types of data.Each of these types of data may be associated with a device, as shown inportion 1252.

There may be one or more device records 1250 and associated data storedwithin the data file 1250. As provided herein, the device may be anydevice that is associated with the vehicle 104. For example, a devicemay be associated with a vehicle 104 when that device is physicallylocated within the interior space 108 of the vehicle 104. As anotherexample, a device may be associated with a vehicle 104 when the deviceregisters with the vehicle 104. Registration may include pairing thedevice with the vehicle 104 and/or one or more of the vehicle systems(e.g., as provided in FIG. 3). In some cases, the registration of adevice with a vehicle 104 may be performed manually and/orautomatically. An example of automatic registration may includedetecting, via one or more of the vehicle systems, that a device isinside the vehicle 104. Upon detecting that the device is inside thevehicle 104, the vehicle system may identify the device and determinewhether the device is or should be registered. Registration may beperformed outside of a vehicle 104 via providing a unique code to thevehicle 104 and/or at least one of the vehicle systems.

The device may be identified in portion 1256. Among other things, thedevice identification may be based on the hardware associated with thedevice (e.g., Media Access Control (MAC) address, Burned-In Address(BIA), Ethernet Hardware Address (EHA), physical address, hardwareaddress, and the like).

Optionally, a device may be associated with one or more users. Forexample, a tablet and/or graphical user interface (GUI) associated withthe vehicle 104 may be used by multiple members of a family. Forinstance, the GUI may be located in a particular area 508 and/or zone512 of the vehicle 104. Continuing this example, when a family member islocated in the particular area 508 and/or zone 512, the device mayinclude various settings, features, priorities, capabilities, and thelike, based on an identification of the family member. The user may beidentified in portion 1254. For the device, the user identificationportion 1254 may include a set of one or more features that may identifya particular user. These features may be the physical characteristics ofthe person that may be identified by facial recognition, or some othertype of system, associated with the device and/or the vehicle 104.Optionally, the user may provide a unique code to the device, or providesome other type of data, that allows the device to identify the user.The features or characteristics of the user are then stored in portion1254.

Each device identified in the device identification portion 1256 mayhave a different set of settings for each area 508 and/or each zone 512,and/or each user of the device. Thus, each set of settings may also beassociated with a predetermined zone 512, area 508, and/or user. Thezone 512 is stored in portion 1220 and the area 508 is stored in portion1216.

One or more settings may be stored in portion 1224. These settings 1224may be similar and/or identical to those previously described. Further,the settings 1224 may also provide for how a device is configured for aparticular user. Each setting 1224 may be associated with a differentarea 508 or zone 512. Thus, there may be more restrictive settings 1224(e.g., restricted multimedia, texting, limited access to devicefunctions, and the like) for the device when the user is the driver andin zone A 512A, 512A, of area 1, 508A. However, when the user is inanother zone 512 or area 508, for example, where the user is notoperating a vehicle 104, the settings 1224 may provide unrestrictedaccess to one or more features of the device (e.g., allowing texting,multimedia, etc.).

Optionally, the capabilities of a device may be stored in portion 1258.Examples of device capabilities may include, but are not limited to, acommunications ability (e.g., via wireless network, EDGE, 3G, 4G, LTE,wired, Bluetooth®, Near Field Communications (NFC), Infrared (IR),etc.), hardware associated with the device (e.g., cameras, gyroscopes,accelerometers, touch interface, processor, memory, display, etc.),software (e.g., installed, available, revision, release date, etc.),firmware (e.g., type, revision, etc.), operating system, system status,and the like. Optionally, the various capabilities associated with adevice may be controlled by one or more of the vehicle systems providedherein. Among other things, this control allows the vehicle 104 toleverage the power and features of various devices to collect, transmit,and/or receive data.

One or more priorities may be stored in portion 1260. The priority maycorrespond to a value, or combination of values, configured to determinehow a device interacts with the vehicle 104 and/or its various systems.The priority may be based on a location of the device (e.g., as storedin portions 1216, 1220). A default priority can be associated with eacharea 508 and/or zone 512 of a vehicle 104. For example, the defaultpriority associated with a device found in zone 1 512A of area 1 508A(e.g., a vehicle operator position) may be set higher than an (or thehighest of any) alternative zone 512 or area 508 of the vehicle 104.Continuing this example, the vehicle 104 may determine that, althoughother devices are found in the vehicle, the device, having the highestpriority, controls features associated with the vehicle 104. Thesefeatures may include vehicle control features, critical and/ornon-critical systems, communications, and the like. Additionally oralternatively, the priority may be based on a particular user associatedwith the device. Optionally, the priority may be used to determine whichdevice will control a particular signal in the event of a conflict.

Registration data may be stored in portion 1262. As described above,when a particular device registers with a vehicle 104, data related tothe registration may be stored in the registration data portion 1262.Such data may include, but is not limited to, registration information,registration codes, initial registration time, expiration ofregistration, registration timers, and the like. Optionally, one or moresystems of the vehicle 104 may refer to the registration data portion1262 to determine whether a device has been previously registered withthe vehicle 104. As shown in FIG. 12B, User 4 of Device 2 has not beenregistered. In this case, the registration data field 1262, for thisuser, may be empty, contain a null value, or otherinformation/indication that there is no current registration informationassociated with the user.

Additionally or alternatively, the data structure 1200 may include aprofile information portion 1238 and/or a linked data portion 1242.Although the profile information portion 1238 and/or the linked dataportion 1242 may include different information from that describedabove, it should be appreciated that the portions 1238, 1242 may besimilar, or identical, to those as previously disclosed.

An embodiment of a data structure 1200 to store information associatedwith one or more vehicle systems is shown in FIG. 12C. The data file1270 may include several portions 1216-1279 representing different typesof data. Each of these types of data may be associated with a vehiclesystem, as shown in portion 1272.

There may be one or more system records 1270 and associated data storedwithin the data file 1270. As provided herein, the vehicle systems maybe any system and/or subsystem that is associated with the vehicle 104.Examples of various systems are described in conjunction with FIG. 3 andother related figures (e.g., systems 324-352, etc.). One example of asystem associated with the vehicle 104 is the vehicle control system204. Other systems may include communications subsystems 344, vehiclesubsystems 328, and media subsystems 348, to name a few. It should beappreciated that the various systems may be associated with the interiorspace 108 and/or the exterior of the vehicle 104.

Each system may include one or more components. The components may beidentified in portion 1274. Identification of the one or more componentsmay be based on hardware associated with the component. Thisidentification may include hardware addresses similar to those describedin conjunction with the devices of FIG. 12B. Additionally oralternatively, a component can be identified by one or more signals sentvia the component. Such signals may include an Internet Protocol (IP),or similar, address as part of the signal. Optionally, the signal mayidentify the component sending the signal via one or more of a header, afooter, a payload, and/or an identifier associated with the signal(e.g., a packet of a signal, etc.).

Each system and/or component may include priority type information inportion 1276. Among other things, the priority type information storedin portion 1276 may be used by the various methods and systems providedherein to differentiate between critical and non-critical systems.Non-limiting examples of critical systems may correspond to thosesystems used to control the vehicle 104, such as, steering control,engine control, throttle control, braking control, and/or navigationinformational control (e.g., speed measurement, fuel measurement, etc.)Non-critical systems may include other systems that are not directlyrelated to the control of the vehicle 104. By way of example,non-critical systems may include media presentation, wirelesscommunications, comfort settings systems (e.g., climate control, seatposition, seat warmers, etc.), and the like. Although examples ofcritical and/or non-critical systems are provided above, it should beappreciated that the priority type of a system may change (e.g., fromcritical to non-critical, from non-critical to critical, etc.) dependingon the scenario. For instance, although the interior climate controlsystem may be classified as a non-critical system at a first point intime, it may be subsequently classified as a critical system when atemperature inside/outside of the vehicle 104 is measured at a dangerouslevel (e.g., sub-zero Fahrenheit, greater than 90-degrees Fahrenheit,etc.). As such, the priority type may be associated with temperatureconditions, air quality, times of the day, condition of the vehicle 104,and the like.

Each system may be associated with a particular area 508 and/or zone 512of a vehicle 104. Among other things, the location of a system may beused to assess a state of the system and/or provide how the systeminteracts with one or more users of the vehicle 104. As can beappreciated each system may have a different set of settings for eacharea 508 and/or each zone 512, and/or each user of the system. Thus,each set of settings may also be associated with a predetermined zone512, area 508, system, and/or user. The zone 512 is stored in portion1220 and the area 508 is stored in portion 1216.

One or more settings may be stored in portion 1224. These settings 1224may be similar and/or identical to those previously described. Further,the settings 1224 may also provide for how a system is configured for aparticular user. Each setting 1224 may be associated with a differentarea 508 or zone 512. For instance, a climate control system may beassociated with more than one area 508 and/or zone 512. As such, a firstuser seated in zone 1 512A of area 1 508A may store settings related tothe climate control of that zone 512A that are different from otherusers and/or zones 512 of the vehicle 104. Optionally, the settings maynot be dependent on a user. For instance, specific areas 508 and/orzones 512 of a vehicle 104 may include different, default, or the samesettings based on the information stored in portion 1224.

The various systems and/or components may be able to obtain or trackhealth status data of the systems and/or components in portion 1278. Thehealth status 1278 may include any type of information related to astate of the systems. For instance, an operational condition,manufacturing date, update status, revision information, time inoperation, fault status, state of damage detected, inaccurate datareporting, and other types of component/system health status data may beobtained and stored in portion 1278.

Each component and/or system may be configured to communicate withusers, systems, servers, vehicles, third parties, and/or other endpointsvia one or more communication type. At least one communication abilityand/or type associated with a system may be stored in the communicationtype portion 1279. Optionally, the communication types contained in thisportion 1279 may be ordered in a preferential order of communicationtypes. For instance, a system may be configured to preferablycommunicate via a wired communication protocol over one or more wiredcommunication channels (e.g., due to information transfer speeds,reliability, and the like). However, in this instance, if the one ormore wired communication channels fail, the system may transferinformation via an alternative communication protocol and channel (e.g.,a wireless communication protocol and wireless communication channel,etc.). Among other things, the methods and systems provided herein maytake advantage of the information stored in the communication typeportion 1279 to open available communication channels in the event of acommunication channel failure, listen on other ports for informationtransmitted from the systems, provide a reliability rating based on thenumber of redundant communication types for each component, and more.Optionally, a component or system may be restricted from communicatingvia a particular communication type (e.g., based on rules, traffic,critical/non-critical priority type, and the like). In this example, thecomponent or system may be forced by the vehicle control system 204 touse an alternate communication type where available, ceasecommunications, or store communications for later transfer.

Additionally or alternatively, the data structure 1200 may include aprofile information portion 1238 and/or a linked data portion 1242.Although the profile information portion 1238 and/or the linked dataportion 1242 may include different information from that describedabove, it should be appreciated that the portions 1238, 1242 may besimilar, or identical, to those as previously disclosed.

Referring now to FIG. 12D, a data structure 1200 is shown optionally.The data file 1280 may include several portions 1216-1286 representingdifferent types of data. Each of these types of data may be associatedwith a vehicle, as shown in portion 1282.

There may be one or more vehicle records 1280 and associated data storedwithin the data file 1282. As provided herein, the vehicle 104 can beany vehicle or conveyance 104 as provided herein. The vehicle 104 may beidentified in portion 1282. Additionally or alternatively, the vehicle104 may be identified by one or more systems and/or subsystems. Thevarious systems of a vehicle 104 may be identified in portion 1284. Forexample, various features or characteristics of the vehicle 104 and/orits systems may be stored in portion 1284. Optionally, the vehicle 104may be identified via a unique code or some other type of data thatallows the vehicle 104 to be identified.

Each system may be associated with a particular area 508 and/or zone 512of a vehicle 104. Among other things, the location of a system may beused to assess a state of the system and/or provide how the systeminteracts with one or more users of the vehicle 104. As can beappreciated each system may have a different set of settings for eacharea 508 and/or each zone 512, and/or each user of the system. Thus,each set of settings may also be associated with a predetermined zone512, area 508, system, and/or user. The zone 512 is stored in portion1220 and the area 508 is stored in portion 1216.

One or more settings may be stored in portion 1224. These settings 1224may be similar and/or identical to those previously described. Further,the settings 1224 may also provide for how a vehicle and/or its systemsare configured for one or more users. Each setting 1224 may beassociated with a different area 508 or zone 512. Optionally, thesettings may not be dependent on a particular user. For instance,specific areas 508 and/or zones 512 of a vehicle 104 may includedifferent, default, or the same settings based on the information storedin portion 1224.

The various systems and/or components may be able to obtain or trackhealth status data of the systems and/or components in portion 1278. Thehealth status 1278 may include any type of information related to astate of the systems. For instance, an operational condition,manufacturing date, update status, revision information, time inoperation, fault status, state of damage detected, inaccurate datareporting, and other types of component/system health status data may beobtained and stored in portion 1278.

One or more warnings may be stored in portion 1286. The warnings data1286 may include warning generated by the vehicle 104, systems of thevehicle 104, manufacturer of the vehicle, federal agency, third party,and/or a user associated with the vehicle. For example, severalcomponents of the vehicle may provide health status information (e.g.,stored in portion 1278) that, when considered together, may suggest thatthe vehicle 104 has suffered some type of damage and/or failure.Recognition of this damage and/or failure may be stored in the warningsdata portion 1286. The data in portion 1286 may be communicated to oneor more parties (e.g., a manufacturer, maintenance facility, user,etc.). In another example, a manufacturer may issue a recallnotification for a specific vehicle 104, system of a vehicle 104, and/ora component of a vehicle 104. It is anticipated that the recallnotification may be stored in the warning data field 1286. Continuingthis example, the recall notification may then be communicated to theuser of the vehicle 104 notifying the user of the recall issued by themanufacturer.

Additionally or alternatively, the data structure 1200 may include aprofile information portion 1238 and/or a linked data portion 1242.Although the profile information portion 1238 and/or the linked dataportion 1242 may include different information from that describedabove, it should be appreciated that the portions 1238, 1242 may besimilar, or identical, to those as previously disclosed.

An embodiment of a method 1300 for storing settings for a user 216associated with vehicle 104 is shown in FIG. 13. While a general orderfor the steps of the method 1300 is shown in FIG. 13, the method 1300can include more or fewer steps or can arrange the order of the stepsdifferently than those shown in FIG. 13. Generally, the method 1300starts with a start operation 1304 and ends with an end operation 1336.The method 1300 can be executed as a set of computer-executableinstructions executed by a computer system and encoded or stored on acomputer readable medium. Hereinafter, the method 1300 shall beexplained with reference to the systems, components, modules, software,data structures, user interfaces, etc. described in conjunction withFIGS. 1-12.

A person may enter the vehicle space 108. One or more sensors 242 maythen identify that a person is sitting within the vehicle 104, in step1308. For example, sensors 242 in a seat, may determine that some newamount of weight has been registered. The amount of weight may fallwithin predetermined parameters (e.g., over a threshold, in a specificrange, etc.). This weight may then be determined to be a person by oneor more optical or other sensors 242. The vehicle control system 204 maythen determine that a person is in a certain zone 512 or area 508. Forexample, the sensors 242 may send signals to the vehicle controls system204 that an event has occurred. This information may be sent to thevehicle control system processor 304 to determine the zone 512 and area508 where the event occurred. Further, the vehicle control system 204may then identify the person, in step 1312.

The vehicle control system 204 can receive the information from thesensors 242 and use that information to search the database 1200 thatmay be stored within the system data 208. The sensor data may becompared to ID characteristics 1212 to determine if the person hasalready been identified. The vehicle control system 204 may also sendthe characteristic data from the sensors to the communication network224 to a server 228 to compare the sensor data to stored data 232 thatmay be stored in a cloud system. The person's features can be comparedto stored features 1212 to determine if the person in the vehicle 104can be identified.

If the person has been identified previously and their characteristicsstored in portion 1212, the method 1300 proceeds YES to step 1316 wherethat person may be identified. In identifying a person, the informationassociated with that person 1240 may be retrieved and provided to thevehicle control system 204 for further action. If a person cannot beidentified by finding their sensor characteristics in portion 1212, themethod 1300 proceeds NO to step 1320. In step 1320, the vehicle controlsystem 204, using an application, may create a new record in table 1200for the user. This new record may store a user identifier and theircharacteristics 1212. It may also store the area 508 and zone 512 indata portions 1216 and 1220. The new record may then be capable ofreceiving new settings data for this particular user. In this way, thevehicle 104 can automatically identify or characterize a person so thatsettings may be established for the person in the vehicle 104.

The input module 312 may then determine if settings are to be stored, instep 1324. Settings might be any configuration of the vehicle 104 thatmay be associated with the user. The determination may be made afterreceiving a user input from the user. For example, the user may make aselection on a touch sensitive display indicating that settingscurrently made are to be stored. In other situations, a period of timemay elapse after the user has made a configuration. After determiningthat the user is finished making changes to the settings, based on thelength of the period of time since the setting was established, thevehicle control system 204 can save the setting. Thus, the vehiclecontrol system 204 can make settings automatically based on reaching asteady state for settings for user.

The vehicle control system 204 may then store the settings for theperson, in step 1328. The user interaction subsystem 332 can make a newentry for the user 1208 in data structure 1204. The new entry may beeither a new user or a new settings listed in 1224. The settings may bestored based on the area 508 and zone 512. As explained previously, thesettings can be any kind of configuration of the vehicle 104 that may beassociated with the user in that area 508 and the zone 512.

The settings may also be stored in cloud storage, in step 1332. Thus,the vehicle control system 204 can send the new settings to the server228 to be stored in storage 232. In this way, these new settings may beported to other vehicles for the user. Further, the settings in storagesystem 232 may be retrieved, if local storage does not include thesettings in storage system 208.

Additionally or alternatively, the settings may be stored in profiledata 252. As provided herein, the profile data 252 may be associatedwith one or more devices 212, 248, servers 228, vehicle control systems204, and the like. Optionally, the settings in profile data 252 may beretrieved in response to conditions. For instance, the settings may beretrieved from at least one source having the profile data if localstorage does not include the settings in storage system 208. As anotherexample, a user 216 may wish to transfer settings stored in profile data252 to the system data 208. In any event, the retrieval and transfer ofsettings may be performed automatically via one or more devices 204,212, 248, associated with the vehicle 104.

An embodiment of a method 1400 to configure the vehicle 104 based onstored settings is shown in FIG. 14. A general order for the steps ofthe method 1400 is shown in FIG. 14. Generally, the method 1400 startswith a start operation 1404 and ends with an end operation 1428. Themethod 1400 can include more or fewer steps or can arrange the order ofthe steps differently than those shown in FIG. 14. The method 1400 canbe executed as a set of computer-executable instructions executed by acomputer system and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium.Hereinafter, the method 1400 shall be explained with reference to thesystems, components, modules, software, data structures, userinterfaces, etc. described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-13.

The vehicle control system 204 can determine if a person is in a zone512 or area 508, in step 1408. This determination may be made byreceiving data from one or more sensors 242. The vehicle 104 can usefacial recognition, weight sensors, heat sensors, or other sensors todetermine whether a person is occupying a certain zone 512.

Using the information from the sensors 242, the vehicle control system204 can identify the person, in step 1412. The vehicle control system204 can obtain characteristics for the user currently occupying the zone512 and compare those characteristics to the identifying features inportion 1212 of data structure 1204. Thus, the settings in portion 1224may be retrieved by identifying the correct zone 512, area 508, andcharacteristics for the user.

The vehicle control system 204 can first determine if there are settingsassociated with the identified person for that zone 512 and/or area 508,in step 1416. After identifying the user by matching characteristicswith the features in portion 1212, the vehicle control system 204 candetermine if there are settings for the user for the area 1216 and zone1220 the user currently occupies. If there are settings, then thevehicle control system 204 can make the determination that there aresettings in portion 1224, and the vehicle control system 204 may thenread and retrieve those settings, in step 1420. The settings may be thenused to configure or react to the presence of the user, in step 1424.Thus, these settings may be obtained to change the configuration of thevehicle 104, for example, how the position of the seats or mirrors areset, how the dash, console, or heads up display is configured, how theheat or cooling is configured, how the radio is configured, or how otherdifferent configurations are made.

Embodiments of a method 1500 for storing settings in cloud storage areshown in FIG. 15. A general order for the steps of the method 1500 isshown in FIG. 15. Generally, the method 1500 starts with a startoperation 1504 and ends with an end operation 1540. The method 1500 caninclude more or fewer steps or can arrange the order of the stepsdifferently than those shown in FIG. 15. The method 1500 can be executedas a set of computer-executable instructions executed by a computersystem and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter,the method 1500 shall be explained with reference to the systems,components, modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc.described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-14.

The vehicle control system 204 can determine if a person is in a zone512 or area 508, in step 1508. As explained previously, the vehiclecontrol system 204 can receive vehicle sensor data from vehicle sensors242 that show a person has occupied a zone 512 or an area 508 of thevehicle 104. Using the vehicle sensor data, the vehicle control system204 can determine characteristics of the person, in step 1512. Thesecharacteristics are compared to the features in portion 1212 of the datastructure 1204. From this comparison, the vehicle control system 204 candetermine if the person is identified within the data structure 1204, instep 1516. If there is a comparison and the person can be identified,the method 1500 proceeds YES to step 1520. However, if the person cannotbe identified, the method 1500 proceeds NO, to step 1524.

In step 1520, the person is identified in portion 1208 by the successfulcomparison of the characteristics and the features. It should be notedthat there may be a degree of variability between the characteristicsand the features in portion 1212. Thus, the comparison may not be anexact comparison but may use methods known in the art to make astatistically significant comparison between the characteristicsreceived from the sensors 242 and the features stored in portion 1212.In step 1524, the characteristics received from sensors 242 are used tocharacterize the person. In this way, the received characteristics maybe used as an ID, in portion 1212, for a new entry for a new user inportion 1208.

The user may make one or more settings for the vehicle 104. The vehiclecontrol system 204 may determine if the settings are to be stored, instep 1528. If the settings are to be stored, the method 1500 proceedsYES to step 1536. If the settings are not to be stored or if there areno settings to be stored, the method 1500 proceeds NO to step 1532. Instep 1532, the vehicle control system 204 can retrieve the settings inthe portion 1224 of the data structure 1204. Retrieval of the settingsmay be as described in conjunction with FIG. 14. If settings are to bestored, the vehicle control system 204 can send those settings to server228 to be stored in data storage 232, in step 1536. Data storage 232acts as cloud storage that can be used to retrieve information on thesettings from other vehicles or from other sources. Thus, the cloudstorage 232 allows for permanent and more robust storage of userpreferences for the settings of the vehicle 104.

An embodiment of a method 1600 for storing gestures associated with theuser is shown in FIG. 16. A general order for the steps of the method1600 is shown in FIG. 16. Generally, the method 1600 starts with a startoperation 1604 and ends with an end operation 1640. The method 1600 caninclude more or fewer steps or can arrange the order of the stepsdifferently than those shown in FIG. 16. The method 1600 can be executedas a set of computer-executable instructions executed by a computersystem and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter,the method 1600 shall be explained with reference to the systems,components, modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc.described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-15.

Vehicle control system 204 may receive sensor data from sensors 242 todetermine a person is occupying a zone 512 in an area 508 of the vehicle104, in step 1608. The sensor data may provide characteristics for theperson, in step 1612. The vehicle control system 204 may then use thecharacteristics to determine if the person can be identified, in step1616. The vehicle control system 204 may compare the characteristics tothe features in portion 1212 for the people having been recognized andhaving data associated therewith. If a comparison is made between thecharacteristics and the features in portion 1212, the person can beidentified, and the method 1600 proceeds YES to step 1620. If there isno comparison, the method 1600 may proceed NO to step 1624. In step1620, the person may be identified by the vehicle control system 204.Thus, the person's features and associated data record 1240 may bedetermined and the user identified in portion 1208. If the person is notidentified, the vehicle control system 204 can characterize the personin step 1624 by establishing a new record in data structure 1204 usingthe characteristics, received from the sensors 242, for the features inportion 1212.

Thereinafter, the vehicle control system 204 may determine if gesturesare to be stored and associated with the user, in step 1628. The vehiclecontrol system 204 may receive user input on a touch sensitive displayor some other type of gesture capture region which acknowledges that theuser wishes to store one or more gestures. Thus, the user may createtheir own gestures such as those described in conjunction with FIGS.11A-11K. These gestures may then be characterized and stored in datastructure 1204. If there are gestures to be stored, the method 1600proceeds YES to step 1636. If gestures are not to be stored the method1600 may proceed NO to step 1632.

In step 1632, the vehicle control system 204 can retrieve currentgestures from portion 1232, which are associated with user 1240. Thesegestures may be used then to configure how the vehicle 104 will react ifa gesture is received. If gestures are to be stored, the vehicle controlsystem 204 may store characteristics, in step 1636, as received fromsensor 242 or from one more user interface inputs. These characteristicsmay then be used to create the stored gestures 1232, in data structure1204. The characteristics may include what the gesture looks like orappears and also what affect the gesture should have. This informationmay then be used to change the configuration or operation of the vehicle104 based on the gesture if it is received at a later time.

An embodiment of a method 1700 for receiving a gesture and configuringthe vehicle 104 based on the gesture may be as provided in FIG. 17. Ageneral order for the steps of the method 1700 is shown in FIG. 17.Generally, the method 1700 starts with a start operation 1704 and endswith an end operation 1728. The method 1700 can include more or fewersteps or can arrange the order of the steps differently than those shownin FIG. 17. The method 1700 can be executed as a set ofcomputer-executable instructions executed by a computer system andencoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter, the method1700 shall be explained with reference to the systems, components,modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc. described inconjunction with FIGS. 1-16.

A vehicle control system 204 can receive sensor data from vehiclesensors 242. The vehicle sensor data can be used by the vehicle controlsystem 204 to determine that a person is in a zone 512 or area 508, instep 1708. The vehicle sensor data may then be used to compare againstfeature characteristics 1212 to identify a person, in step 1712. Thevehicle control system 204 thereinafter may receive a gesture, in step1716. The gesture may be perceived by vehicle sensors 242 or received ina gesture capture region. The gesture may be as described in conjunctionwith FIGS. 11A-11K. Upon receiving the gesture, the vehicle controlsystem 204 can compare the gesture to gesture characteristics in portion1232, in step 1720. The comparison may be made so that a statisticallysignificant correlation between the sensor data or gesture data and thegesture characteristic 1232 is made. Upon identifying the gesture, thevehicle control system 204 can configure the vehicle 104 and/or react tothe gesture, in step 1724. The configuration or reaction to the gesturemay be as prescribed in the gesture characteristic 1232.

An embodiment of a method 1800 for storing health data may be as shownin FIG. 18. A general order for the steps of the method 1800 is shown inFIG. 18. Generally, the method 1800 starts with a start operation 1804and ends with an end operation 1844. The method 1800 can include more orfewer steps or can arrange the order of the steps differently than thoseshown in FIG. 18. The method 1800 can be executed as a set ofcomputer-executable instructions executed by a computer system andencoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter, the method1800 shall be explained with reference to the systems, components,modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc. described inconjunction with FIGS. 1-17.

Vehicle control system 204 can receive sensor data from sensors 242. Thesensor data may be used to determine that a person is in a zone 512 orarea 508, in step 1808. The sensor data may then be used to determinecharacteristics of the person, in step 1812. From the characteristics,the vehicle control system 204 can determine if a person may beidentified in data structure 1204, in step 1816. If it is determinedthat the person can be identified in step 1816, the method 1800 proceedsYES to step 1820. If the person cannot be identified, the method 1800proceeds NO to step 1824. A person may be identified by matching thecharacteristics of a person from the sensor data to the features shownin portion 1212. If these comparisons are statistically significant, theperson may be identified in portion 1208, in step 1820. However, if theperson is not identified in portion 1208, the vehicle control system 204can characterize the person using the vehicle sensor data, in step 1824.In this way, the vehicle control system 204 can create a new record fora new user in data structure 1204.

Thereinafter, the vehicle control system 204 may receive health and/orsafety data from the vehicle sensors 242, in step 1828. The vehiclecontrol system 204 can determine if the health or safety data is to bestored, in step 1832. The determination is made as to whether or notthere is sufficient health data or safety parameters, in portion 1228and 1236, to provide a reasonable baseline data pattern for the user1240. If there is data to be received and stored, the vehicle controlsystem 204 can store the data for the person in portions 1228 and 1236of the data structure 1204, in step 1832.

The vehicle control system 204 may then wait a period of time, in step1836. The period of time may be any amount of time from seconds tominutes to days. Thereinafter, the vehicle control system 204 canreceive new data from vehicle sensors 242, in step 1828. Thus, thevehicle control system 204 can receive data periodically and update orcontinue to refine the health data and safety parameters in datastructure 1204. Thereinafter, the vehicle control system 204 mayoptionally store the health and safety data in cloud storage 232 bysending it through the communication network 224 to the server 228, instep 1840.

An embodiment of a method 1900 for monitoring the health of a user maybe as shown in FIG. 19. A general order for the steps of the method 1900is shown in FIG. 19. Generally, the method 1900 starts with a startoperation 1904 and ends with an end operation 1928. The method 1900 caninclude more or fewer steps or can arrange the order of the stepsdifferently than those shown in FIG. 19. The method 1900 can be executedas a set of computer-executable instructions executed by a computersystem and encoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter,the method 1900 shall be explained with reference to the systems,components, modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc.described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-18.

The vehicle control system 204 can receive health data from sensors 242.The health data may be received in step 1908. The vehicle control system204 may then compare the received health data to stored healthparameters in portion 1228 or portion 1236, in step 1912. The comparisonmay check if there is statistically significant separation ordisagreement between the received health data and the stored healthdata. Thus, the vehicle control system 204 can make a health comparisonof the user based on a baseline of health data previously stored. Astatistically significant comparison may include determining if thereare any parameters more than three standard deviations from the averageor norm, any parameter that is increasing or decreasing over a period ofeight different measurements, a measurement that is more than twostandard deviations from the norm more than three measurementsconsecutively, or other types of statistical comparisons.

If the vehicle control system 204 determines that measured healthparameter does deviate from the norm, the vehicle control system 204 candetermine whether the health data is within acceptable limits, in step1916. If the health data is within acceptable limits, the method 1900proceeds YES back to receiving new health data, in step 1908. In thisway, the health data is periodically or continually monitored to ensurethat the driver is in a healthy state and able to operate the vehicle.If the health data is not within acceptable parameters, the method 1900may proceed NO to step 1924 where the vehicle control system 204 mayreact to the change in the health data. The reaction may include anymeasure to provide for the safety of the user, such as stopping thevehicle, beginning to drive the vehicle, driving the vehicle to a newlocation, such as a hospital, waking the driver with an alarm or othernoise, or performing some other function that may help maintain thehealth or safety of the user.

The health data received may be a reaction from the driver. For example,the driver may call for help or ask the vehicle for assistance. Forexample, the driver or passenger may say that they are having a medicalemergency and ask the car to perform some function to help. The functionto help may include driving the person to a hospital or stopping the carand calling for emergency assistance.

FIG. 20 outlines another exemplary embodiment of optional componentswithin the user/device interaction subsystem. In particular, theuser/device interaction subsystem can optionally include a vehiclecommunications module 2004, a vehicle personality module 2008 and acontext module 2012, in communication with one or more of the othermodules/interfaces discussed herein.

In accordance with an optional exemplary embodiment, a vehicle mayinitiate communications with one or more third parties based on acontext of the vehicle and/or the user(s). In some cases, the vehiclecan create and use a second personality for the user(s) via the user'smobile device. For instance, a user may be traveling home from work(this determination being predicted, for example, based on prior tripsmade at the same time or a similar time of day by the user, and/orinformation stored in the user's profile data and/or navigationinformation) and the vehicle may send a message, such as a text message,phone call, e-mail, or the like, to a third party to indicate the useris on their way home. In some embodiments, the vehicle may set up agroup personality to represent two or more users associated with thevehicle. In one embodiment, a person may communicate with the vehicle'ssecond personality directly. In this example, a user may be in an areawhere texting while driving is restricted by law. However, a user maycommunicate with another person, and vice versa, via the secondpersonality of the vehicle. The second personality (vehicle) mayintercept messages sent to the user and report any associated content tothe user via one or more speakers and/or displays associated with thevehicle—thereby helping the user comply with the hands-free law.Additionally, or alternatively, the user may send spoken messages, videoclips, combinations thereof, and the like, via the second personalitywithout physically creating and sending a text message, e-mail, or thelike. For example, through using a speech-to-text converter, one or moreof content and commands can be prepared and sent via the second(vehicle) personality. Similarly, using a text-to-speech converter,messages receive by the second personality (vehicle) can be relayed tothe user, via, for example, the vehicle sound system.

More specifically, the vehicle can have a vehicle personality that isdeveloped with the cooperation of the vehicle personality module 2008,with this vehicle personality being storable in, for example, a vehicleprofile data storage (not shown). This developed vehicle personality canbe based on one or more users of the vehicle, such as the driver, andone or more passengers. The vehicle personality, in one optionalembodiment, can act on behalf of the user and/or passengers, to performvarious tasks, functions, and communications with one or more otherindividuals and/or entities and/or vehicles. This vehicle personalitycan be used, for example, in conjunction with user's mobilecommunication device 212, with the vehicle able to send communications,using the communication device 212. The vehicle personality can also usethe on board vehicle communication systems, with the vehicle personalitymodule 2008 able to cooperate with the vehicle communications module2004 to one or more of send/receive any type of communication. As willbe appreciated, the vehicle personality module 2008, cooperating withthe vehicle communications module 2004, is able to send communications,for example, on behalf of the driver, with the communications appearingto optionally originate with the vehicle. For example, and as discussedabove, when a user is traveling home from work, with this context beingdeterminable by the context module 2012 in cooperation with, forexample, the navigation subsystem, the vehicle personality module 2008can generate a message, and send the message, for example, to the user'shome, indicating that based on current traffic and/or weatherconditions, the user is expected home in 22 minutes. Alternatively, orin addition, the vehicle may initiate communications with one or morethird parties based on the context of the vehicle and/or one or moreusers, in cooperation with the context module 2012. In some optionalcases, the vehicle sets up one or more second personalities for one ormore of the users of the vehicle based on content in the user's mobiledevice 212 (for example via a query procedure). For example,communication(s) sent via the vehicle can be associated with a vehiclepersonality. For example, the vehicle personality includes various typesof identifying information such as “Joe's Truck” or other identifiersthat would allow third parties to determine from where thecommunication(s) was sent. In some optionally embodiments, the secondpersonality may be identified via an icon, or other identifier, eitheraudible and/or visual, associated with the communication. As will beappreciated, this icon or other identifier can be associated andforwarded with any one or more of the communications discussed herein toallow the third part to determine the origin of the message. Theidentifier can also include information regarding whom the vehiclepersonality is based on. As one example, the vehicle personality couldbe “Brand Y Sedan with Sandy, Bob and Jill,” and for a work truck,“Truck 116, Line Truck, with Mike and John,” and for a first responder,“Ambulance 21, Sue (driver), Pat (paramedic) and Chris (paramedic)”

In some optional embodiments, the vehicle, in cooperation with thevehicle personality module 2008, may set up a group personality torepresent two or more users associated with the vehicle, e.g., a driverand their passengers. The group personality may depend on one or more ofthe number of people detected in the vehicle, and the group personalitymay send communications via at least one of the user's mobile devices,such as mobile device 212, and/or in cooperation with one or more of thevehicle communications systems as discussed herein.

For example, communications sent via the vehicle can be associated witha vehicle group personality that is similarly storage in a vehicleprofile data store. Similar to the second personality discussed herein,in some optional embodiments, the group personality may be identifiedvia an icon or other identifier associated with the communication, andmay also reflect the one or more users that were used as the basis fordeveloping the group personality. For example, the icon or otheridentifier may include three icons, with each of the icons representingone of the three individuals that are currently in the vehicle. As withthe other disclosed embodiments, the context module 2012, is able todetermine, based on the current context of the vehicle and the one ormore users, whether one or more messages should be sent, and where theseone or more messages should be sent based on, for example, informationin the vehicle profile data and/or user preference information, and/orinformation associated with the user's communications device 212 and/orin combination with a context module and/or an intelligent assistant.

In an optional embodiment, the user may be traveling home from work,based on information from the navigation system, and that they havepicked up their child from day care. Another vehicle subsystem hasdetermined that the child may need a diaper change and is crying becausethey are hungry. Here, since the context module 2012 is aware thatdrivers are not allowed to utilize their mobile communications devicewhile driving, the context module 2012 cooperates with the vehiclepersonality module 2008 and the vehicle communications module 2004 toassemble a message to be sent home indicating that the driver is twelveminutes from home, the baby needs changing, and is hungry. As discussed,this communication may be identified as being sent from a vehicle, suchas a vehicle icon with a message, and may also include supplementalinformation indicating who is the driver and that they are with aninfant passenger. The third party may optionally respond to the message,which can then be relayed, either visually and/or audibly, to the uservia one or more of the components of the vehicle, such as the dashboard,head unit, speakers, video display, or any combination thereof. By wayof example, the third party may state “please pick up some eggs,diapers, and fabric softener before you come home, thanks” The vehiclepersonality could then optionally suggest a route change to take thedriver to a grocery store proximate to the trip home.

FIG. 21 outlines optional vehicle componentry usable, for example, forsoftware and/or firmware updates that can be distributed in a viralmanner. In addition to already described componentry, FIG. 21 optionallyfurther includes a vehicle firmware/software system 2104, storage 2106,a message module 2108, a status module 2112, one or more other vehicles,such as vehicle A 2116, vehicle B 2120, and vehicle N 2124, as well as asoftware/firmware server 2140 connected to data storage 2144.

In accordance with an optional exemplary embodiment, software and/orfirmware on vehicle 104 can be updated in a similar manner to the way inwhich a virus spreads. For example, as software and/or firmware changesoccur, the dissemination of the updates may be employed by pushingupdates to vehicles that are in communication range of a vehicle with anupdate version. In some cases, this update may include at least onevehicle updating another vehicle as the second vehicle passes withincommunication range of the updated vehicle. Viral communications of thistype allow vehicles to relay messages, software updates, etc., to othervehicles over one or more of the vehicle communication subsystems, aswell as optionally in cooperation, or alternatively, exclusively using,for example, a user's communication device, such as a smart phone.

In accordance with an exemplary operationally embodiment, a firstvehicle may have received a software update from a first signal source,while a second vehicle did not receive this software update, e.g.,whether due to a signal interruption, lack of signal, low signal, notrunning, or the like. Here, the first vehicle may transmit the softwareupdate to the second vehicle when the first vehicle is in communicationproximity with the second vehicle, whether traveling along a road, nextto each other, parked at a stopped light, parked overnight in a parkingspace, or in general in any scenario in which the first vehicle is incommunication proximity with the second or further vehicles. In someoptional embodiments, the software update of the second vehicle may beinitiated by the first vehicle and completed by another vehicle. Inother words, the update process may include a communication fromvehicle-to-vehicle, where the communication includes a progressindicator so that a third vehicle can continue the update process wherethe second vehicle left off and so on, with this status of the updateprogress being optionally indicated as part of the communicationsbetween the vehicles.

More specifically, vehicle firmware/software system 2104, cooperatingwith one or more of the diagnostic communications module 256, and thevehicle control system 204, commences communication with thesoftware/firmware server 2140, to determine whether or not an updatedfirmware or software version is available. Alternatively, or inconjunction with the above, the message module 2108 can receive amessage from the software/firmware server 2140 indicating that thesoftware/firmware update is available and/or a user can be notified thata firmware/software update is available. When a software/firmware updatebecomes available, the vehicle 104 is able to retrieve thatsoftware/firmware update from one or more of the stored data 2144,and/or from one or more the other vehicles, such as vehicle A 2116,vehicle B 2120 and/or vehicle N 2124. As will be appreciated, theseother vehicles 2116-2124 can be similarly equipped with one or more ofthe message module 2108, status module 2112, and vehiclefirmware/software system 2104 in associated with storage 2106. Incooperation with the status module 2112, each vehicle can maintaininformation regarding the status of that vehicle's firmware/softwaresystem, any updates that that vehicle has, either complete or partialand the compatibility of that vehicle's software/firmware with anothervehicles firmware/software.

For example, the message module 2018, upon receiving a notification thatthere is updated firmware/software available, can begin messaging orquerying other vehicles to determine whether or not they have receivedsome or all of a compatible firmware/software update. If a vehicleresponds that they do have some or all of that vehicle update, messagemodule 2108, cooperating with vehicle firmware/software system 2104, cancommence downloading of that software/firmware update from thevehicle(s) that has the update available. As will be appreciated,information from one or both vehicles can also be analyzed by thevehicle firmware/software system such as GPS information. For example,GPS information from both vehicles, upon the indication that one vehiclehas a software update for another vehicle, indicates that based on theirprojected trajectories the vehicles will only in communication for amatter of seconds, the vehicle firmware/software system may opt to notbegin downloading from the other vehicle. If, however, for example, thetwo vehicles are parked beside each other in a parking lot, the vehiclefirmware/software system can coordinate with the one or more othervehicles that have the updated firmware/software available and begin thedownload process. Moreover, one or more rules, preferences, and otherfactors, such as battery power, network bandwidth, network congestion,network usage, and the like, can be taken into consideration before onevehicle begins downloaded the firmware/software update from anothervehicle. As will be appreciated, various preferences and rules can beestablished that govern 1) whether the vehicle even broadcastsinformation regarding which firmware/software version is available and2) whether the vehicle's owner is willing to allow that vehicle to oneor more of download or upload its software/firmware to one or more othervehicles.

As illustrated in FIG. 21, exchanging of firmware/software can occureither directly between vehicles, or with the cooperation of thecommunication network 224, and/or optionally in cooperation with auser's communication device, such as communication device 212. In thisway, software/firmware distribution can occur without all vehiclesneeding the update having to acquire it from the same source. In asimilar manner, the vehicle's on board communication system can be usedeither alternatively, or in conjunction, with the above describedembodiment to allow one or more of the transmission or reception ofvehicle firmware/software updates. It should be appreciated however,that the disclosed embodiment is not limited to firmware/software, andin general can include any type of information, message, or dataexchanged between a first, and at least a second vehicle.

FIG. 22 illustrates some of the optional componentry that can beutilized for vehicle-to-vehicle social and business communications. Inaddition to the elements already discussed, FIG. 22 optionally includesa social/business communication module 2204, storage 2208, a safetymodule 2260, a message module 2212, a filter module 2216, and an imageretrieval/notification module 2264. In addition, one or more socialnetworks are illustrated by element 2236, and their associated storage2240, as well as one or more other networks, 2248, and their associatedstorage 2244, as well as one or more navigation networks 2252 along withtheir associated stored data 2256, and stored images and/or videos 2268,which can be held in a repository/data store.

In accordance with optional exemplary operational embodiment, vehiclesmay communicate with one another to share social and/or businessinformation. Such information may include data that one user may wish toshare with another user based on privacy settings. For example, a usermay wish to sell a car they are driving. As the user drives a car aroundtown, the car may communicate the “For Sale” status to other vehiclesnearby. In one optional embodiment, the communication of thisinformation may be filtered by one or more receiving vehicles. Anexample of the filter may include when a user is actively looking for acar, and may request information about cars for sale. In some optionalembodiments, the vehicle, whether sender or receiver, may reviewpersonal information stored in a mobile phone, in a profile data, in acloud, or some other device and/or service, such as social networks,e-mail, text messaging, and the like, to automatically set and configurethis information.

More specifically, in accordance with one optional embodiment, inter-carcommunication can be controlled by, for example, user or driverpreferences. For example, a driver can define what information is sharedwith other cars—that is what information is given out, and to whom. So,for example, family member's vehicles may have access to more ordifferent information then strangers would have.

In accordance with another optional embodiment, inter-car communicationscan be utilized for advertising. If, for example, a vehicle able toadvertise that it is for sale, it may no longer be necessary toadvertise that vehicle on, for example, a “vehicles for sale” website.For advertising, the user can program information in the vehicleregarding the vehicle being for sale—year, miles, condition, contactinformation, etc. This information can then be broadcast to one or moreother vehicles in communication range of the first vehicle. A vehiclereceiving this information, can display it on, for example, the vehicledisplay, and optionally also inform the driver that the vehicle is 2cars ahead of them (based on an assessment of both vehicle's GPScoordinate information). The vehicle can also automatically initiate acommunication to the vehicle for sale if there is an interest in it bythe user.

In a similar manner, inter-car communications can be used to exchangesuch things as danger warnings between cars, driver behaviors, driverratings, erratic behavior, road conditions, and in general any type ofinformation. For example, for driver ratings, drivers can rate otherdrivers where the ratings optionally appear in a social networkingformat. In a similar manner as above, these driver ratings canoptionally be “broadcast” to one or more other vehicle that may beclose. In this manner, drivers could be informed about the quality ofother drivers around them—with this information being displayable in,for example, the vehicle display in a graphical format.

For example, a phone call to the police could generate data aboutanother driver that goes into a public ratings system, such as adepartment of motor vehicles-based rating system, a social network(s),or the like. One of the exemplary advantageous associated with this typeof rating system is that it could generate a self-policing system topromote better driving habits and behaviors. In a similar manner, thisinter-car communication can be used to notify other drivers of dangeroussituations, such as “another vehicle is approaching you in the fog,please turn on your lights.” These inter-car communications couldfurther include real-time information such that when vehicle in front ofyou is about to turn into your path, a message played to the driver to“hit the brakes”, or the like. In a similar manner a message can be sentto the vehicle behind to alert the driver that there is an evasive stopbeing performed and/or recommend taking evasive action. This can becoupled with car GPS-to-car GPS communications, such that, for example,where someone is lost and does not know the way to a particulardestination, the GPS of a person already in route to that destinationcan feed information to the person that is lost with recommendations asto what is the best route for the lost individual to get to thedestination.

In accordance with one optional embodiment, the social/businesscommunication module 2204, in cooperation with storage 2208, can beutilized to one or more of exchange information, send or receiveadvertising, exchange messages, exchange information, track behaviors,and the like.

In accordance with one optional embodiment, social networks 2236 areable to be integrated into vehicle and/or vehicle user operations. Morespecifically, and in cooperation with the social/business communicationmodule 2204, the message module 2212, and the filter module 2216, a userassociated with the vehicle is able to share and/or associateinformation with or about another vehicle using a social network. Morespecifically, and in cooperation with the vehicle detection module 2232,the proximity of another vehicle, such as vehicle A 2220, vehicle B2224, or vehicle N 2228 is able to be detected. As will be appreciated,the other vehicle(s) may invoke one or more privacy settings or filtersto prohibit or limit interrogation of their presence by the vehicledetection module 2232. Depending on one or more of the preferences,filter settings, and type of message to be sent and/or received, theother vehicles are capable of restricting and/or filtering one or moreof an interrogation by the vehicle detection module, and one or moremessages that can be sent or received or associated with them on thesocial network.

For example, if one or more of the other vehicles receive an emergencymessage, the message can be identified as such and a filter in one ofthe other vehicles allow that type of message to go through. Whereasadvertising messages, such that vehicle 104 is for sale, could beblocked. As will be appreciated, user preferences can be established andthe various rules implemented in a filter module to govern the types ofmessages and/or information that is sent and/or received.

Optionally in conjunction with the detection of another vehicle by thevehicle detection module 2232, vehicle 104 is also capable ofidentifying, for example, a communications device associated with one ormore of the users of the other vehicle. Therefore, in accordance withone optional embodiment, in addition to being able to identify avehicle, the system can also identify an individual associated with thatvehicle, which can be used in conjunction with the various techniquesdisclosed herein, to post information on a social network about, and/orsend a communication to.

For example, if the driver is a good driver, always signaling, andobeying traffic signs, the user of vehicle 104 may want to post on asocial network site the user associated with the other vehicle is a gooddriver. In contrast, if the driver is a behaving erratically, or appearsto under the influence of a drug or alcohol, in conjunction with thesocial/business communication module 2204, storage 2208, and messagemodule 2212, a user of vehicle 104 may post information on a socialnetwork site about the behavior of the detected vehicle and/or the userassociated with that detected vehicle. As is to be appreciated, theposting or dissemination of this information is not limited to socialnetworks 2236, but can also be transmitted to other networks 2248 andtheir associated storage 2244. Some examples of these other networks arethe department of motor vehicles, local law enforcement, a driverdatabase or rating system, or the like.

In accordance with another optional embodiment, and in cooperation withthe image retrieval/notification module 2264, in addition to one or moremessages being capable of being sent by the message module 2212, one ormore of image and video information can also be exchanged with the oneor more of the other vehicles, as well as associates with one or moresocial networks 2236 other networks 2248.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, car GPS to car GPScommunications are enabled in cooperation with the social/businesscommunication module 22004 and the navigation subsystem 2236, as well asthe message module 2212 and optionally the filter module 2216.

More specifically, and as an example, if someone is lost on the road anddoes not know the way to specific destination, GPS information from thenavigation subsystem 336 of a person in route, or already at thedestination, may be feed to the lost individual. For example, the lostindividual may post information to one or more social networks 2236indicating that they are going from destination A to destination B, andthat they are lost, and are requesting the assistance of any otherdrivers who may be taking that same route. The message module 2212, can,for example, in cooperation with a filter module 2216, monitor the oneor more social networks for messages such as the above from the lostindividual. Assuming the user has not set up preferences where thosetypes of messages are filtered by the filter module 2216, thesocial/business communication module 2204 is able to cooperate with thenavigation subsystem 336, and optionally information from other sources,such as weather information, traffic information, safe routeinformation, and the like, to respond to the individual that is lost viathe social network 2236. Optionally, or alternatively, communicationscan be established between the vehicle 104 and the lost individual, andinformation regarding assisting the lost driver to their destination canbe sent directly to the lost individual at their vehicle via one or morecommunication networks 224.

In accordance with another optional embodiment, and if one driver isresponding to a lost driver in a scenario similar to that discussedabove, and, for example, the driver of at the destination postsinformation on the social network 2236 recommending a desired course toget the lost driver to the destination, this message can be vetted byone or more navigation networks 2252, to ensure that there are noimpediments to the suggested route for the lost driver. For example, thenavigation networks 2252 can include information from, for example, oneor more local law enforcement agencies, weather bureaus, trafficinformation sources, and the like, and if, for example, the recommendedroute is now blocked for some reason, the navigation network 2252 canpost supplemental information to the social networks 2236 furtherspecifying an alternative or modification to the recommended route basedon, for example, one or more of traffic conditions, weather, or thelike. This updating of the recommended information to the social network2236 can optionally be pushed or otherwise communicated to theindividual that is lost such that they are apprised of the latestinformation to assist them with arriving at their destination—andoptionally automatically directly integrated into their navigationsystem.

In accordance with another optional embodiment, and in cooperation withthe discussed elements as well as the safety module 2260, a vehicle maycommunicate with at least one other vehicle to notify them of adangerous situation, such as you are approaching each other in the fog,turn on your lights and make sure to stay in your lane. Danger warningscan be similarly shared between vehicles, such as if the other vehicleis behaving erratically, swerving, tailgating, or the like. As will bediscussed, various information from one or more of the vehicle controlsystem 204, message module 2212, navigation subsystem 336,social/business communication module 2204 as well as the vehicledetection module 2232 and optionally one or more navigation networks2252 can be used to assist with vehicle to vehicle safety and trafficcommunications.

In accordance with another example, a user may be traveling along ahighway in a vehicle, when the vehicle through one or more sensors,detects that the traction in a particular area is low. This low tractionmay be associated with ice if the vehicle detects a low temperature thatcan indicate ice may be present. Additionally, or alternatively, thevehicle may make use of fluid sensors to determine that the lowtractions related to a fluid presence on the road. In any event, thevehicle may record the location, and in cooperation with the navigationsubsystem 336, and in some instances, optionally communicate theindication of the low traction surface to one or more of one or moreother vehicles, the navigation networks 2252, a traffic control system,and other road monitoring entity, such as the department oftransportation, a traffic application, a road maintenance division, orthe like, and can also post the information on, for example, a socialnetwork 2236 that is associated with users discussing traveling and/orroad conditions. As can be appreciated, the various vehicle sensors maybe used to detect any combination of emergency and/or safety conditions,such as pot holes, rough surfaces, glass on the road, objects on theroad, fog, foreign objections, accidents, or the like. Morespecifically, and accordance with another optional embodiment, and incooperation with the image retrieval/notification module 2264, thevehicle is also capable of capturing one or more of an image or video ofthe dangerous situation, and depending the message from the messagemodule 2212, this information can similarly be sent from the vehicle 104to one or more destinations, such as the navigation network 2252 andsocial network 2236. Once this information is associated with one ormore destinations, such as a social network 2236 or navigation network2252 and/or directly with another vehicle that may be proximate to orapproaching the hazard, this information can optionally be accessible byone or more of the other vehicles 2220-2228 to assist with notifyingthem of potentially dangerous situations. For example, one or more ofthe other vehicles 2220-2228 can have a navigation subsystem that isable to query the navigation network 2252 and/or social network 2236 andask either of these systems whether or not there are any dangerousconditions along the intended route or direction of travel. One or bothof these networks could then answer that query and provide the userinformation, and/or images/video about the dangerous situation, as wellas optionally provide alternatives for avoiding the dangerous situation.

In some optional embodiments, the vehicle 104 may identify safetyhazards/conditions by associating the conditions with a map and/or GPSdisplay in cooperation with the navigation subsystem 336. For example,in the previous example, the vehicle may determine to send theinformation relating to the low fraction area to one or more other GPSand/or maps displays. In one scenario, the map displays warningsassociated with an area that is identified as having low traction. Thisinformation can optionally be stored in the navigation network 2252 andthe stored data 2256. The low traction area can be shown graphically viathe display of the vehicle 104, and in conjunction with, for example,the navigation system. It is anticipated that the warning could beprovided to a user, and/or other vehicle, in advance of the user/othervehicle reaching the area with this warning being provided one or moreof audibly and visually. In accordance with an optional embodiment, thisinformation may be sent directly from the vehicle 104 to the othervehicles in close proximity. For example, when vehicle 104 travelingdown the road encounters a very bad stretch of road that requires usersto slow down, the vehicle 104 can communication this information tooncoming vehicles in conjunction with the vehicle detection module 2232and the message module 2212. Additionally, or alternatively, and aspreviously discussed, this information may be sent to one or more remoteservers and/or services and/or networks, such as the social network2236, navigation network 2252, or other network 2248, which may beassociated with, for example, the local department of transportation. Aswill be appreciated, one or more other vehicles may be able to accessthis information and provide the information to their respectivedrivers.

As briefly discussed above, the vehicle 104, in cooperation with theimage retrieval/notification module 2264, and in cooperation with one ormore of the message module 2212, filter module 2216, and vehicle and/oruser communication device, may determine, receive, detect, and/orascertain one or more traffic events, conditions, or combinationsthereof, or the like, that may exist along a particular route, and inresponse, retrieve one or more (static or dynamic) images or videos fromcameras along the route. For instance, a user may be traveling along aroad on a way to a particular destination, when a road/lane closurecauses traffic to slow down and/or become congested. In this example,the traffic condition may trigger the retrieval of images from one ormore cameras within a certain proximity to the road/lane closure and/orthe vehicle, e.g., using GPS coordinate information. The images may beretrieved from roadside cameras, vehicle cameras, other vehicles'cameras, and/or other image sensors in proximity to the condition. Asdiscussed herein, these images can be shared on one or more of thesocial networks, other networks and navigation networks 2252, as wellsas, or alternatively, with one or more other vehicles 2220-2228. As willbe appreciated, the sending and/or retrieving these images and/or videocan be filtered in cooperation with the filter module 2216 that can bebased on, for example, user preferences, privacy settings, or the like.Depending on the nature of the image/video being captured, theimage/video may be sent to one or more other destinations, incooperation with the safety module 2260.

For example, information regarding a traffic accident is captured, andin cooperation with the safety module 2260, this information can be sentto, for example, the local law enforcement agency and/or insurancecompany, or the like. More specifically, the vehicle detection module2232 is capable of interrogating and determining the identity of the oneor more other vehicles and/or users that may be associated with theparticular condition. This information can be appended or otherwiseassociated to the captured images/video, which may then be usable by,for example, local law enforcement to assist them with accidencereconstruction, contacting parties involved in the accident, or ingeneral for any purpose.

In accordance with an optional embodiment, the imageretrieval/notification module 2264 can cooperate with another entity,such as a department of transportation, with the department oftransportation utilizing image retrieval/notification module 2264 in oneor more user's vehicles to be the “eyes and ears” of the department oftransportation. For example, a user can agree to cooperate with a localdepartment of transportation and capture information regarding roadconditions, safety issues, road repairs, traffic conditions, or thelike, with this information optionally being reportable to, for example,the department of transportation to assist them with road maintenance,repairs, traffic flow, or in general any function associated with thedepartment. In accordance with one optional embodiment, the imageretrieval/notification module 2264 cooperates with the navigationsubsystem 336 to obtain image and/or video and/or sensor information atspecific locations as requested by, for example, an entity such as thedepartment of transportation. As will be appreciated, the other entity,such as the department of transportation is optionally able to specifywhat types of information they would like, which can include any type ofinformation from any of the sensors associated with the vehicle 104, aswell as image information as discussed. Since it is envisioned thatmultiple vehicles 104 can be collecting these types of information forthe entity, the entity, such as the department of transportation, withthis “distributed network” of information-gathers can advantageouslyprovide more comprehensive, accurate, and real-time information than waspreviously allowed.

Expanding upon this concept, information from the navigation subsystem336 can also be shared with, for example, the navigation network 2252,such that real-time traffic-flow information is provided to thenavigation network, with the navigation network 2252 capable of updatingtheir servers with highly accurate, real-time traffic speeds from one ormore vehicles. As will be appreciated, in conjunction with the speedinformation, image information can optionally also be associated withthis message sent to the navigation network 2252 in cooperation with theimage retrieval module 2264, with the image information optionally beingstorable in the image database 2268. The information on the navigationnetwork 225, is then shareable with one or more other users/othervehicles such as vehicles 2220-2228.

FIG. 23 outlines additional optional elements that can be associatedwith vehicle 104. In particular, these optional elements can include apresence detection/alert module 2312, an individual communicationsmodule 2316, an infant monitor/prediction module 2308, and infantprofile data 2304. In accordance with one optional embodiment, and incooperation with a presence detection/alert module 2312, and optionallyin cooperation with one or more of the vehicles sensors 242, 236, 340,and the like, the one or more sensors may be used to identify thepresence of police or emergency vehicles to assist users in avoidingcertain areas due to block roads, road accidents, the R.I.D.E. program,or the like. In general, the presence detection/alert module 2312 isable to alert the user and/or one or more other users of approachingpolice or emergency vehicles, or of the location of police or emergencyvehicles. As discussed in accordance with the above embodiments, thisinformation can be shared with one or more of the social networks 2236,other networks 2248, and navigations networks, 2252, which is thenshareable and accessible by one or more other vehicles/users.

In the context of parking, the presence detection/alert module 2312, isable to cooperate with one or more vehicle sensors and optionally withone or more networks, such as the navigation network 2252, to identifyopen parking spaces ahead or down streets in the vicinity of theintended destination. In accordance with one embodiment, the navigationnetworks 2252, and/or other vehicles 2220-2228, in cooperation withtheir respective vehicle sensors, are able to determine where parkingspots are available, with this information shareable between vehiclesand/or the navigation network 2252, with this information communicableto the vehicle that is seeking a parking space. As will be appreciated,information regarding the availability, or non-availability, of parkingcan be communicated to a user via one or more of the video I/O interface864 and audio I/O interface 874. As one example, parking meters cantransmit a signal indicating if the meter is paid up. if the meter isnot aid up, an assumption can be made that the parking spot may bevacant. In a more sophisticated embodiment, parking meters can beequipped with a sensor to determine if a vehicle is parked in theassociated spot. Information regarding the presence of a vehicle canthen be communicated to one or more vehicles and/or a central datarepository that is queryable by one or more vehicles to determineparking spot availability. For example, a message can be sent to thecentral repository requesting parking spot availability within 1/16 of amile of a specific GPS coordinate associated with the vehicle. Thecentral repository can respond with information/directions to theavailable parking spot, with this information optionally populatable inthe vehicle's navigation system—such as represented by an icon.

In conjunction with another optional embodiment, and the context of tollbooths, one or more sensors may be used to identify routes, such as incooperation with the navigation subsystems discussed herein, to avoidspecific routes that include toll booths along the route. Thisinformation regarding presence of toll booths can also be communicatedto the user one or more of audibly and visually, such as via thevehicle's navigation interface.

In accordance with another optional embodiment, the one or more vehiclesensors 242, 236, 340, or the like, may detect the presence of anindividual outside or in close proximity to the vehicle, and optionallyobtain data relating to the individual for example by querying theircommunication device. The vehicle 104 may detect one or more signalssent from sensors that may include, but are not limited to, vehiclesensors, non-vehicle sensors, sensors associated with a user's device,such as a cell phone, tablet, smart phone, or the like, a wearablesensor, biometric devices, such as a heart rate monitor, health monitor,health and/or activity sensor, oxygen level sensor, diabetes sensor, orthe like. For example, an individual who is walking into a cross-walkmay have a wearable sensor that indicates information such as theindividual's presence and/or statistics. This information can alsoinclude individual specific information, such as the user may be deafand/or blind, is elderly, or the like, with this informationcommunicable to the vehicle 104, and in particular to the presencedetection/alert module 2312.

In response, the vehicle in cooperation with the presencedetection/alert module and one or more of the video I/O interface 864and audio I/O interface 874 may communicate a warning, alert, or othernotification to a user in the vehicle regarding the presence of thedetected individual in, for example, the cross-walk, in close proximityor in the direction of travel. In an optional embodiment, the individualin the cross-walk can be made aware of the presence of the vehiclethrough a similar communication and appropriately notified to assistthem with potentially avoiding an unwanted collision or an accident.

In accordance with one optional embodiment, and to assist withindividual privacy, certain individuals may have associated with, forexample, their communication device, a detectable signal that is ageneric indicator specifying one or more types of medical conditions.The detectable signal representing these one or more medical conditionscan be detected by the one or more vehicle sensors, and upon acorrelation to the information in the individual communications module2316, this information usable to determine, for example, that anindividual is impaired, handicapped, has a specific medical condition,or the like. Through this generic type of messaging system, informationregarding an individual's particular impairment can be discoverable by avehicle 104, without the presence detection/alert module 2312 actuallyneeding to specifically interrogate the device associated with thatuser.

In a similar manner, this information can be obtainable from one or moreother users within the proximity of the vehicle 104. For example, ifthere is a learner driver, or a handicapped driver, in the proximity ofthe vehicle 104, the various vehicle sensors, in cooperation with thepresence detection/alert module 2312, is capable of interrogating thisinformation (assuming no privacy or other filters have prohibited theaction) with the interrogatable information presentable to the user,e.g., driver, via audibly and/or visually. This can assist with, forexample, a driver's understanding of other drivers/users/people in thearea, and may also assist with drivers predicatively avoiding what couldbecome a challenging or dangerous situation.

In accordance with another optional embodiment, and in cooperation withthe presence detection/alert module 2312, the infant monitor/predictionmodule 2308, one or more vehicle sensors, and optionally the vehicleprofile data 2304, a routine can be run that is in communication withthe various sensors, such as wearable sensors, vehicle mounted sensors,child mounted sensors, or the like, that are configured to inform one ormore users of various statistics relating to an infant passenger.Examples of these statistics may include, but are not limited to,whether a diaper has been soiled, a baby is crying, frequency ofbreathing, fidgeting and movement, any biometric information, overallhealth, whether the baby is awake/asleep, and the like. Additionally, oralternatively, the application may track how many diapers a user isexpected to go through over a period of time and recommend how manydiapers to buy in advance, how often, and where to purchase the diapersat, for example, a discounted or sale price, for the trip. As will beappreciated, this information can be dynamic based on feedback andinformation received from the one or more vehicle sensors about theinfant with the prediction module 2308 further capable of storing any ofthis information in the infant profile data 2304. As discussed, thisinfant profile data, 2304 can be used to assist with the user inpreparing for future trips and/or on assisting with the well-being of aninfant or child.

As will be appreciated, various types of information associated withthis embodiment can be shared with one or more other users, such as auser at a remote destination, and in conjunction with other elementsdiscussed herein, a message can be sent to, for example, and individualat the destination indicating that the infant needs a diaper change, ishungry, and is currently asleep. For example, this information could becommunicated to the user's home, such that someone at the home couldprepare whatever is necessary to deal with an infant in this particularstate.

In accordance with an optional embodiment, various information from thesensors can used in cooperation with the prediction module 2308 andoptionally an advertising module (not shown) such that based on one ormore of the detected states/conditions of the infant, targetedadvertising can be sent to the user audibly and/or visually, to assistthe user with caring for that infant. This can optionally be coupledwith navigation and/or GPS information, to assist the user withnavigating their way to a location which perhaps sells a service and/orproduct to assist with the infant's care.

FIG. 24 outlines an exemplary method for virtual personality use. Inparticular, control begins in step S2400 and continues to step S2404. Instep S2404, a virtual personality is established. Next, in step S2408,one or more user's profile data can optionally be assessed, and thevirtual personality determine therefrom. However, it should beappreciated, that the virtual personality can be created independent ofthe one or more user's profile data. Next, in step S2412, and based onone or more of rules, laws, and preferences, it is determined whetherthe virtual personality should be used as the primary communicationpersonality. As discussed, and for example, if utilizing a communicationdevice, such as a smart phone, while driving is prohibited in theparticular jurisdiction or location that the vehicle is located, a rulecould specify that a virtual personality is to be used as the primarycommunication personality and/or modality. Control then continues tostep S2416.

In step S2416, a determination is made as to whether a communicationshould be sent or is being received. If a communication is not beingsent or received, control continues to step S2420 where the controlsequence ends. Otherwise, control continues to step S2424.

In step S2424, a determination is made as to whether the virtualpersonality should be used for communication. If the virtual personalityis not to be used for communication, control continues to step S2428where the communication is sent and/or received using, for example, oneor more of the user's personalities associated with the vehicle. Controlthen continues to step S2432 where the control sequence ends.

If a virtual personality is to be used for communication, controlcontinues to step S2436 where the communication is sent and/or receivedusing the virtual personality. Control then continues to step S2440where the control sequence ends. As discussed, this communication couldoptionally include an identifier to assist the recipient withunderstanding that the communication is from a virtual personality.

FIG. 25 outlines an exemplary method of updating one or more of softwareand firmware. In particular, control begins in steps S2500 and continuesto step S2504. In step S2504, the current version of thesoftware/firmware is determined. Next, in step S2508, a determination asmade as to whether an update is available. If an update is notavailable, control continues to step S2512, with control otherwisejumping to step S2516.

In step S2516, the update for the software/firmware is acquired from oneor more of the source and another vehicle. As discussed, the vehicle canestablish inter-vehicle communications with one or more other vehicles,and download all or a part of the software/firmware update from one ormore of a plurality of sources as they are available. Next, in stepS2520, the software/firmware update can optionally be relayed to othervehicles that are within range, optionally based on one or more of aninquiry and/or push. As will be appreciated, the software/firmwareupdate can be relayed in whole or in part the with the software/firmwareupdate being obtainable from a plurality of sources and alsodisseminateable to a plurality of other vehicles. Control then continuesto step S2524 where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 26 outlines an exemplary method for inter-vehicle communicationsand sending out of a dangerous situation alert. In particular, controlbegins in step S2600 and continues to step S2604. In step S2604, theinter-vehicle communications mode is enabled based on, for example, oneor more user preferences, the type of dangerous situation, one or morefilters, or the like. Next, in step S2608, a determination is made as towhether another vehicle is in range. If another vehicle is not in range,control continues to step S2612 where the control sequence ends.Otherwise, control jumps to step S2616.

In step S2616, communications are established between a vehicle and oneor more other vehicles. As discussed, any type of communicationsprotocol or modality can be utilized to establish one or two-waycommunications between the vehicle and the one or more other vehicles.Next, in step S2620, the communication is determined and assembled.Then, in step S2624, the determined communication is sent and/orreceived between the vehicle and the one or more other vehicles that thevehicle is in communication with. Control then continues with stepS2628.

In step S2628, one or more filters are optionally applied to incoming oroutgoing communications based on, for example, user preferences, contentof the message, or the like. Next, in step S2632, a dangerous situationalert can optionally be sent out to one or more vehicles that thevehicle is in communication with. In step S2632, this dangeroussituation alert can optionally be associated with location informationand sent to another entity, such as a remote location, social network,department of transportation, law enforcement agency, or in general toany remote location to alert of them of the dangerous situation. As willbe appreciated, and depending on the nature of the dangerous situation,this task could be performed automatically, such that, for example,local law enforcement is notified without necessary requiring user inputas soon as the dangerous situation is encountered. Control thencontinues to step S2640 where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 27 outlines an exemplary method for vehicle-to-vehicle GPScommunications. In particular, control begins in step S2700 andcontinues to step S2704. In step S2704, vehicle-to-vehicle GPScommunication mode is initialized. Next, in step S2708, a determinationis made as to whether to exchange and/or forward GPS information. If GPSinformation is not to be exchanged or forwarded, for example, there is arule or user preference prohibiting the exchange or forwarding ofinformation, or if there is no communication service available toexchange or forward the GPS information, control continues to step S2712where the control sequence ends. As will be appreciated, if there is adesire to exchange or forward GPS information, but a communicationservice is not available, it should be appreciated that the system canstore this information and send it when service becomes available. Ifthe determination is made to exchange and/or forward GPS information,control continues to step S2716.

In step S2716, one or more permissions, rules, and privacy settings canoptionally be checked before the forwarding/exchanging of GPSinformation. Next, in step S2720, GPS information to beexchanged/forwarded is assembled into a message. Then, in step S2724, acommunication is established with at least one other vehicle for theexchange/forwarding of the GPS information. As will be appreciated, thisexchange of GPS information is not limited to simple GPS coordinates,but can also include route information, direction information, as wellas route or direction of information that can be updated or supplementedbased on, for example, traffic conditions, weather conditions, or otherinput from one or more entities, such as a department of transportation,or the like, as shown in step S2728. Control then continues to stepS2732 where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 28 outlines an exemplary method for detecting and reporting one ormore conditions. In particular, control begins in step S2800 andcontinues to step S2804. In step S2804, one or more conditions aredetected in cooperation with one or more of the vehicles sensors, thevehicle camera, and/or user input. Control then continues to step S2808.

In step S2808, a determination is made as to whether the detectedcondition should be reported. If the detected condition should not bereported, control continues to step S2812. For example, one or more offilters, preferences, and user input can be utilized to determinewhether or not a condition should be reported. It should appreciatedhowever that depending on the nature of the condition, the condition maybe determined to be a safety or emergency type of situation, in whichcase, the condition can optionally be automatically reported to one ormore other entities as discussed herein. If the condition is to bereported on, control jumps to step S2816.

In step S2816, the location of the detected condition can optionally bedetermined, for example, through one or more of user input andinformation from the navigation system, and in step S2820, this locationinformation associated with the detected condition. Next, in step S2824,the proximity and/or route of one or more other vehicles can optionallybe determined, and this detected condition and location informationforwarded to the one or more other vehicles to notify them of thedetected condition and/or help them avoid a dangerous situation. As willbe appreciated, the forwarding of the detected condition and locationinformation is not limited to only being sent to other vehicles, but canalso could be sent to one or more other destinations, such as a socialnetwork, other network, navigation server, department of transportation,law enforcement agency, first responders, emergency services, and/or ingeneral to any one or more locations. Control then continues to stepS2828.

In step S2828, the system can optionally automatically or manuallyacquire one or more of video and image information associated with thedetected condition. This audio, video and/or image information canoptionally be forwarded, as discussed above, to any one or moredestinations such as other vehicles, servers, entities, or the like.Next, in step 2832, the detected condition information can optionally besupplemented with one or more of a textual, audible, and visual alertinformation with this information being displayable to, for example,other drivers, other entities, and/or recognized and saved by one ormore servers. Control then continues to step S2836 where the controlsequence ends.

FIG. 29 outlines exemplary method detecting one or more emergencyvehicles. In particular, control begins in step S2900 and continues tostep S2904. In step S2904, one or more emergency vehicles can bedetected. This detection can be based on input received from amicrophone, input received from a camera, based on a signal beingemitted from the emergency vehicle, based on a communication being sentfrom the emergency vehicle to vehicles within a certain proximitythereof, or in general can be based on any technique or methodology fordetecting an emergency vehicle. Next, in step S2908, a vehicle user canbe one or more audibly and/or visually notified of the presence of anemergency vehicle. Optionally, the driver can be provided with arecommendation of a route to take to assist with avoiding andapproaching emergency vehicle. For example, on a congested road, theemergency vehicle may broadcast a message requesting users to pull tothe right hand side of the road, to assist with the emergency vehiclepassing on the left hand side. Control then continues to steps S2912where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 30 outlines an exemplary method of locating parking spaces. Inparticular, control begins in step S3000 and continues to step S3004. Instep S3004, one or more available parking spaces are detected. Asdiscussed, the availability of parking spaces can be based oninformation received from one or more other vehicles, a central parkingspace database, one or more sensors on the vehicle itself, or the like.Next, in step S3008, the user, such as the driver, can optionally benotified one or more of audibly and visually about the availability ofparking spaces. Then, in step S3012, the user can optionally be providedwith instructions for how to navigate to the one or more availableparking spots. The one or more available parking spots can also besupplemented with information such as whether the parking spot is at apaid meter, an inside garage, a free space on the city street, or thelike. As will be appreciated, in step S3016, should the availability ofparking space change, the user can be updated with this information andoptionally provided with additional navigation instructions to help themfind a next available parking space. Control then continues to stepS3012 where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 31 outlines an exemplary method for managing toll roads duringnavigation. In particular, control begins in step S3100 and continues tostep S3104. In step S3104, the expected route is determined. Next, instep S3108, it is determined whether there are toll roads that expectedto be encountered on the expected route. Then, in step S3112, and basedon one or more of a user profile, and user input, it is determinedwhether toll roads are to be avoided and/or there use minimized.Depending on the determination in step S3112, in step S3116, a user'sroute can optionally be updated to one or more of avoid and minimizetoll route usage. Control then continues to step S3120 where the controlsequence ends.

FIG. 32 outlines an exemplary method for detecting an individual. Inparticular, control begins in step S3200 and continues to step S3204. Instep S3204, the presence of one or more individuals is detected. Asdiscussed, this can be based on input from one or more vehicle sensors,and interrogation of individuals' communications devices, or in general,based on any known or later developed technique for detecting thepresence of an individual proximate to a vehicle. Next, in step S3208, adetermination is made whether the detected individual is a knownindividual. If the detected individual is not a known individual,control continues to step S3212, with control otherwise jumping to stepS3228.

In step S3212, it is optionally determined whether or not a collision ispossible or imminent between the detected individual(s) and a vehicle.Next, in step S3216, one or more of the vehicle, such as the driver, andthe individual are notified of this possible collision. As discussed,the driver can be notified one or more of audibly and/or visually, andin a similar manner, the individual can be notified via audibly,visually, or through mechanical feedback, such as a vibration on theircommunications device. In accordance with one optional embodiment, oneor more of the vehicle and communication devices associated with theindividual, can be equipped with a special “accident avoidance” routinewhich allows the exchange of communications, such as those discussedherein, to assist with avoiding vehicle/individual collisions. As willbe appreciated, this routine can optionally take precedence/overrideover any user preferences/rules may be set on the vehicle and/orpersonal communication device. Control then continues to step 3224 wherethe control sequence ends.

In step S3228, operation can optionally be updated based on the factthat the detected individual is a known individual. For example, if thedetected individual is a known individual, personal information canoptionally be included with any messaging exchanged between the vehicleand the individual. For example, a user backing out of their garagecould be notified that Jane (their daughter) is playing behind thevehicle and to stop immediately. Next, and continuing with the scenario,in step S3232, a determination is made as to whether a collision orother event is possible. Then, in step S3236, one or more of the vehicleand the detected individual is notified of the possible collision and/orevent. As will be appreciated, this information can be optionallyupdated at regular intervals, for example in real-time, to assist withvehicle to person collision avoidance. Also, and in conjunction with thevehicle control module, one or more vehicle controls could also beautomatically activated such as the actuation of the brakes. Controlthen continues to step S3234 where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 33 outlines an exemplary method for infant monitoring. Inparticular, control begins in step S3300. Next, in step S3304, infantmonitoring commences. Then, in step S3308, information from one or moresensors is optionally obtained. As discussed, these sensors can beassociated with one or more of the vehicle, and the infant themselves,and can include one or more of biometric information, audibleinformation, visual information, and physical information, such as thatthe infant is wet. Then, in step S3312, analysis can be performed andoptionally reconciled with one or more rules to determine whether tonotify one or more users associated with a vehicle about the datareceived from the one or more sensors. As will be appreciated, user canestablish preferences to determine what type of sensor information theyshould be alerted to, and also a communication modality that is to beused for sensor information that is to be reported to them. For example,it is determined that the infant is sleeping, the user may choose to benotified visually, for example, on the vehicle display, that the infantis sleeping. However, if the infant is awake, and has a wet diaper, thisinformation could be communicated to one or more of the users associatedwith the vehicle audibly. Control then continues to step S3316.

In step S3316, a determination is made as to whether a notificationshould go to one or more the users about the detected condition. If thedetected condition is not to be notified to one or more users, controlcontinues to step S3320 where a determination is made as to whethermonitoring of the infant should end. If monitoring of the infant is notto end, control returns to step S3308, with control otherwise continuingto step S3328 where the control sequence ends.

In step S3332, and when a user is to be notified, the notification isprepared and forwarded to an appropriate destination. As will beappreciated, and in conjunction with the user preferences/rules, and inaddition to the type of notification and whether any supplementalinformation, such as a picture, is to be set with the notification, theuser can also specify to which one or more destinations the notificationis to be sent. For example, and depending on the type of detectedcondition, the notification can be sent to, for example, the driver, aswell as an individual at the driver's home. As will be appreciated, thecommunication modality used for this communication can be any type ofcommunication modality, and it can be forwarded via one or more of thevehicle's communication device and the user's device. Next, in stepS3336, the system is optionally able to dynamically determine one ormore recommendations based on the monitoring. These recommendations caninclude, for example, advertising, prediction regarding supplies,average amount of supplies that will be needed for the trip that isprogrammed into the navigation system, and the like. Again theserecommendations can be sent to one or more users or other destinations,and can similarly be associated with one or more of images, audio, andvideo, of the monitored infant(s). Control then continues to step S3340where the control sequences ends.

Methods and Systems for the Detection and Relay of Emergency and SafetySignals:

Embodiments of the present disclosure include detecting signalsemanating outside of a vehicle interior 108 and presenting informationrelating to those signals to at least one user inside the vehicle 104.For example, vehicles are becoming increasingly soundproof to mostenvironmental and/or external noises. This soundproofing can be achievedby using special composites, dampened panels, acoustic material,specially configured glass, and the like, in vehicle construction. Whilethis soundproofing may offer a comfortable and quiet ride, certainimportant sounds (e.g., emergency vehicles, horns, sirens, etc.) and/orsignals (e.g., alarms, warnings, etc.) may not be able to penetrate thesoundproofing. As such, a user inside a traditional vehicle may beignorant of important warnings that are conveyed by sounds or othersignal emanating outside of the vehicle.

Signals:

Emergency and/or safety signals can include, but are not limited to,acoustic, auditory, wireless signals, visual signals, and/orcombinations thereof. Typical acoustic and/or auditory signals mayinclude one or more of sirens, horns, alarms, bells, whistles, soundshaving a frequency, intensity, and/or duration above or below apredetermined threshold, and the like. In some cases, the acousticsignals may be undetectable by the human ear but can be detected via oneor more sensors associated with a vehicle 104 and/or communicationdevice. For example, an emergency siren may be acoustically configuredto operate at various acoustic pitches, patterns, intervals, and/orintensities. In some embodiments, this acoustic configuration may becommon to a type of emergency signal source (e.g., a vehicle, alertsystem, wireless communication, etc.), indicate an urgency level (e.g.,fast intervals may indicate higher urgency, while slow intervals inproduced sound may indicate lower urgency, and vice versa), conveyinformation (e.g., within the acoustic signal, etc.), and the like.

The acoustic and/or audible signal may identify a type of emergencyevent associated with the signal. For instance, certain impacts,explosions, implosions, crashes, and/or other sound-producing events canbe associated with an acoustic profile. Among other things, the acousticprofile can include information related to the sound-producing event. Byway of example, the acoustic profile may be represented as a graphplotting sound intensity over time. The graph may include a best-fitcurve that is generated based on at least one mathematical functionselected to fit the information related to the sound-producing event.Additionally or alternatively, the information may be represented as adigital data set. In any event, the acoustic profiles may be stored in amemory associated with the vehicle.

Once an acoustic signal is detected via one or more sensors associatedwith the vehicle, an alert module 2312 may determine whether thedetected signal corresponds to an acoustic profile stored in memory.This determination may include comparing characteristics, such as soundintensity, peak values, intervals of sound, duration of sounds,graphical profile, and the like associated with the detected signal tothe information of the acoustic profiles stored. When a match exists,the alert module 2312 can positively identify the detected signal as aparticular type of emergency. It should be appreciated that determininga match may not require exact values to be matched. In fact, the alertmodule 2312 may be able to determine that a match exists by comparingvarious portions of the information associated with the signal toportions of the acoustic profiles stored. This comparison may includetreating deviations that fall within a predetermined threshold asacceptable to make a positive identification of an emergency type.

Wireless signals may refer to signals generated by an emergency sourceand conveyed by or to at least one receiver via a wirelesscommunications protocol and/or broadcast. Examples of wirelesscommunications can include, but are in no way limited to, IR, RF, Wi-Fi,electric signaling, satellite communications, radio broadcast,line-of-sight communications, AMBER Alerts™, Emergency Alert System(EAS) alerts, National Weather Service (NWS) alerts, Federal EmergencyManagement Agency (FEMA) alerts, etc., and/or any other broadcast alertsor signals. The wireless signals may be configured to include a varietyof information. For instance, the wireless signals may includeinformation that identifies a source of the signal, an emergency type,vehicle control instructions, location information, destinationinformation, estimated time of arrival, etc., and/or combinationsthereof.

In some embodiments, the emergency and/or safety signals may be sendusing visual communications. Visual signals can include, but are notlimited to, lights, strobes, IR, laser, etc., and/or characteristicsassociated therewith. For example, light characteristics may includeinformation relating to color or wavelength, intensity, frequency,duration, cycling information, etc., and/or combinations thereof.Similar to the acoustic profile for acoustic sound-producing events,visual signals can be associated with a visual profile. Among otherthings, the visual profile can include information related to the visualsignals. By way of example, the visual profile may be represented as agraph plotting light intensity and/or color over time. This graph mayinclude a best-fit curve that is generated based on at least onemathematical function selected to fit the information related to thevisual signal. Additionally or alternatively, the information may berepresented as a digital data set. In any event, the visual profiles maybe stored in a memory associated with the vehicle.

In one example, light emitted from a police car emergency lighting maycycle from red, to white, to blue, and so on. The color cycling of theemergency lighting can be considered at least a portion of the visualprofile. In one case, the cycling may define a rate representing thetime it takes to repeat a pattern of light emitted. As provided above,the rate of cycling may be used by an emergency source to indicate anurgency level associated with the signal. Continuing this example, thesensors of a vehicle 104 (e.g., image sensors, cameras, etc.) may beconfigured to detect the light from the police car and an alert module2312 may determine whether the detected signal corresponds to a visualprofile stored in memory. This determination may include comparingcharacteristics, such as light intensity, peak values, intervals betweenlight emitted, duration that light is emitted, graphical profile, andthe like associated with the detected signal to the information of thevisual profiles stored. When a match exists, the alert module 2312 canpositively identify the detected signal as a particular type ofemergency. It should be appreciated that determining a match may notrequire exact values to be matched. In fact, the alert module 2312 maybe able to determine that a match exists by comparing various portionsof the information associated with the signal to portions of the visualprofiles stored. This comparison may include treating deviations thatfall within a predetermined threshold as acceptable to make a positiveidentification of an emergency type.

Signaling Entities:

The various emergency and/or safety signals disclosed herein may begenerated and/or relayed by one or more signaling entities. Signalingentities may include one or more vehicles, alert systems, radio towers,wireless communication modules, emergency dispatch system, trafficcontrol system, servers, and/or any other module configured to generateat least one of the signals. In one embodiment, a signal source (e.g.,an emergency signal source, etc.) may be a server, and one or moresignaling entities may be configured to relay a signal generated by thesignal source (e.g., via vehicles, cell towers, communication modules,etc.). Although an emergency and/or safety signal may be initiallygenerated by an emergency source, it should be appreciated that theemergency and/or safety signal can be relayed by at least one othersignaling entity. In some embodiments, the relaying signal source maynot be an originator of the signal, but can act as a signaling entity ina group of one or more signaling entities in an emergency communicationsnetwork.

In one embodiment, one or more vehicles may be signaling entities.Additionally or alternatively, an emergency or safety signal may begenerated by a signal source. Signaling entities and/or signal sourcescan include, but are not limited to emergency vehicles (e.g., police,fire, ambulance, SWAT, etc.), military vehicles, government vehicles,law enforcement vehicles, safety vehicles, maintenance vehicles,corporate vehicles, group vehicles, private vehicles, and the like. Itis anticipated that generating specific emergency and/or safety signalsmay be restricted to certain vehicles. For instance, an emergency signalconfigured to clear traffic along a path may be restricted to emergencyvehicles, military vehicles, and certain government vehicles. On theother hand, a safety signal configured to warn others of an obstructionin a particular lane of traffic may be unrestricted, such that all typesof vehicles can generate the safety signal. As can be appreciated, thegeneration of specific signals by vehicles can be restricted based atleast partially on a number of factors, including governmentalauthorization, nature of the event, prior abuses of the signalgeneration, driving record and/or reputation, traffic conditions, GPSlocation, etc., and/or combinations thereof

Signaling entities, especially emergency signal sources, can include atleast one of a tornado alert system, emergency dispatch system, trafficcontrol system, EAS, weather alert system, NWS, AMBER Alerts™ system,FEMA system, and the like. Additionally or alternatively, emergencysignal sources may utilize communications equipment, radio towers,wireless communication modules, and/or other communication modules tosend an emergency and/or safety signal. Depending on the emergency, thesignal source(s) may be selected based on reaching local, regional,and/or an expanded audience. For instance, a local area may be under aflood warning for two hours. While this flood warning may be relevant tothose in proximity to the local area (e.g., those in the local area ortraveling toward the local area, etc.) the warning would most likely beirrelevant to those outside of the local area (e.g., which can includethose traveling out of the local area, etc.). In this example, thesignal source(s) and/or other signaling entities are selected togenerate signals in proximity to, or within a range of distance from,the local area. Additionally or alternatively, the signal may beassociated with an expiration timer corresponding to an expectedexpiration of the emergency. In this case, when the emergency expires(e.g., the two-hour period associated with the flood warning) the signalmay also expire (e.g., any relay, or generation, of the signal may beterminated at or about the emergency expiration time, etc.).

Other signaling entities may include, but are not limited to, devicesassociated with a school zone, school crossing, school bus, constructionzone, railroad crossing, crosswalk, animal crossing, playground, an areaassociated with one or more people having disabilities and/orimpairments (e.g., a hearing impairments, physical disabilities, mentalhandicaps, and the like), etc., and/or combinations thereof. By way ofexample, a school zone may include a signal light, sign, or otherindication of the school zone. The sign may be configured to flash thesignal light and/or emit a sound at specific times, when children arepresent, or in response to an input detected. Additionally oralternatively, the sign may include a communications module that isconfigured to generate a signal for detection via one or more wirelessreceivers.

Detection of Signals:

The signals disclosed herein can be detected by one or more sensors,communication modules, and/or detection systems. In some embodiments,the one or more sensors, communication modules, and/or detection systemscan be associated with a vehicle 104. For instance, at least one of thecomponents of the vehicle, such as those described in conjunction withthe vehicle control system 204, sensor/sensor subsystems 340, thecommunication subsystems 344, etc., may be adapted to detect thesignals. As can be appreciated sound signals and/or other audio signalsmay be detected via one or more microphones 886 associated with thevehicle 104. Additionally or alternatively, light signals may bedetected via one or more of the image sensors, or cameras 878,associated with the vehicle 104.

In some embodiments, the vehicle 104 may receive and/or detect a signalcommunicated via at least one signal source or signaling entity. Amongother things, this signal may be generated or relayed from a signalsource and/or signaling entity. Other systems and/or devices associatedwith the vehicle may be configured to receive and/or detect emergencyand/or safety signals. These systems and/or devices may include radardetectors, GPS/Navigation subsystems 336, servers 228, communicationsmodules (e.g., radio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, NFC, wireless Ethernet,point-to-point communications, etc.) transducers (e.g., pressure, light,etc.) microphones, cameras (e.g., image sensors, still image capturesensors, video image sensors, etc.), combinations thereof, and the like.

For example, a vehicle 104 may be traveling along a road approaching acrosswalk. As the vehicle 104 comes within a signaling range of thecrosswalk, a device associated with the crosswalk may emit a safetysignal configured to alert vehicles within the range of the crosswalk.The device associated with the crosswalk may be at least one of a light,speaker, communications module configured to send a wireless signal,and/or combinations thereof. The vehicle 104 may detect the safetysignal using one or more sensors associated with the vehicle 104. In oneexample, an image sensor of the vehicle 104 may determine that a lightis flashing and the alert module 2312 may determine that this flashinglight is associated with a crosswalk safety signal. In another example,a microphone of the vehicle 104 may receive a sound emitted from thecrosswalk device. In this case, the alert module 2312 may determine thatthe sound is associated with a crosswalk safety signal. In yet anotherexample, a communications module of the vehicle 104 may receive awireless signal sent from the device associated with the crosswalk. Uponreceiving the signal, the alert module 2312 may analyze the signal anddetermine information relevant to the signal. This information mayinclude the source of the signal, the signal type, the distance to thesignal, and any other information pertinent to detection and/orpresentation.

In one example, a vehicle 104 may be traveling along a road where anemergency vehicle is fast approaching the vehicle 104. While theemergency vehicle may be emitting emergency signals, at least in theform of light and sound, the operator of the vehicle may not notice theemitted emergency signals (e.g., due to a soundproof cabin of thevehicle, loud music playing, distraction, or some other reason). Similarto the examples provided above, the vehicle 104 can detect the signalsemitted from the emergency vehicle and determine that the signals areassociated with the emergency vehicle. Additionally or alternatively,the signal may include additional information that can be used inpresenting an alert to the operator of a vehicle via at least one deviceof the vehicle 104. For instance, the additional information may includethe emergency type, speed of the emergency vehicle, direction of theemergency vehicle, expected lane of travel for the emergency vehicle,destination of the emergency vehicle, and/or other information. Thisadditional information may be determined by the alert module 2312analyzing a pattern, intensity, wavelength, frequency, and/or othercharacteristic associated with the signal. In one embodiment, theadditional information may be included in a header, payload, or footerof a wireless signal. In any event, the information may include vehiclecontrol instructions to actively control one or more features of thevehicle 104 (e.g., pull the vehicle 104 over, slow the vehicle 104, movethe vehicle 104 from a lane of traffic, control volume of a radio ormultimedia system in the vehicle 104, roll down windows of the vehicle104, etc.).

Presentation of Detected Emergency Signals:

It is anticipated that once a signal is detected, the signal itselfand/or information about the signal may be presented to an operator of avehicle 104 via the alert module 2312. The presentation may be made inat least one of a visual, acoustic (or audible), and/or tactile (orhaptic) form. For instance, presentation can include visually displayingan alert to a display device 212, 248, or other device associated withthe vehicle 104. For example, sounds of an emergency vehicle or othersignaling entity may be played over a speaker of a communication devicepaired with a vehicle 104. Additionally or alternatively, presentationcan include emitting a sound via one or more speakers 880 associatedwith the vehicle 104. In some embodiments, the presentation can includea vibration or movement of a seat, steering wheel, control feature, orother component/system of a vehicle 104.

Continuing the example above, where an emergency vehicle is approachingthe vehicle 104, the alert module 2312 may determine to alert theoperator of the vehicle 104 by at least one of displaying a visual alertto the console display of the vehicle 104 (e.g., stating “EmergencyVehicle Approaching—Pull Over to the Right!”, etc.), allowing the soundof the emergency signal to be heard inside the vehicle 104 (e.g., byplaying the emergency signal sound, or a sound representing theemergency signal sound, over at least one of the speakers 880 associatedwith the vehicle 104, etc.), and vibrating the seat of the vehicle 104at a specific rate or intensity.

In some embodiments, the method of presentation may increase ininvasiveness, or interruption, to gradually alert the operator. Thisgradually increasing approach, can adequately alert the operator withoutcausing panic or unnecessarily startling the operator of a vehicle 104.For example, a visual alert displayed to a device 212, 248 associatedwith the vehicle 104 may be configured to first get the attention of theoperator of the vehicle 104. The operator may indicate that the alerthas been received by responding to the alert (e.g., by accepting thealert via user input or selection, operating the vehicle 104 differentlythan before the alert is received, pulling over, etc.). In the eventthat the operator is determined to have not responded to the alert, thealert module 2312 may determine to provide a second alert in the form ofan acoustic alert via the speakers 880 associated with the vehicle 104.If the operator does not respond to the second alert, the alert module2312 may determine to present a third alert the operator via a hapticpresentation (e.g., by vibrating the seat, etc.). Where an operatorcontinues to ignore, or not respond to, the presentation of one or moreof the alerts, the alert module 2312 may instruct the vehicle controlsystem 204 to control at least one feature of the vehicle 104. Thiscontrol may include pulling the vehicle over to the side of the road,etc.

As will be appreciated, other aspects, embodiments, and/orconfigurations of signal generation, detection, and presentation arepossible utilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the featuresset forth above or described in detail below.

FIGS. 34A-D show graphical representations of signals associated with atleast one emergency and/or safety signal. Each graphical representationmay correspond to a plurality of data points that are associated with aparticular signal over time. Although shown as analog graphicalrepresentations, it should be appreciated that the signals can berepresented by digital graphical representations. Additionally oralternatively, the graphical representations serve to illustrate thateach signal can include a number of data points that are associated witha given signal. As such, it should be appreciated that the data pointsthat make up the curves shown on each graph do not necessarily need tobe provided, or represented in one or more of the graphical formats asshown. For instance, the alert module 2312 can utilize data pointsassociated with a particular signal to determine a match orcorrespondence with a detected signal, etc.

In some embodiments, the graphical representations may show a signalintensity (SI) of an emergency and/or safety signal (along the y-axis3412) plotted versus time (T) (along the x-axis 3408). The signalintensity can include loudness, signal strength, amplitude, pressure,wavelength, and/or some other sensor detectable quantity having ameasurable value. Time may be recorded in seconds, minutes, hours, days,etc., combinations thereof, and/or fractions thereof. A logarithmic, orother scale, may be associated with one or more axes 3408, 3412 (e.g.,T, SI, etc.) of the graphical representations. As can be appreciated,the signals shown may be linear, exponential, logarithmic, non-linear,combinations thereof, and/or the like.

The graphical representation of each of the signals 3404, 3424, 3432,3440 can include at least one curve 3420, 3428, 3436, 3444, 3448corresponding to a function, formula, signal profile, detected signal,and/or a best-fit of data directed to the same. Each graph 3404, 3424,3432, 3440 shows at least a portion of signal data and may includeadditional data 3414 over time. In one embodiment, this additional data3414 may be used in accurately determining an emergency and/or safetysignal from detected and/or received signals.

FIG. 34A shows a graphical representation 3404 of a first signal profile3420 associated with a first type of emergency signal. This first signalprofile 3420 may be stored in a memory associated with a vehicle 104. Inone embodiment, the memory may be the memory 308 of the vehicle controlsystem 204. In other embodiments, the first signal profile 3420 may bestored in a memory including one or more of system data 208, datastorage 320, and/or profile data 252. Among other things, the signalprofiles 3420, 3428, 3436, 3448 can be used by the alert module 2312 indetermining whether a detected signal matches, or corresponds to, asignal profile 3420, 3428, 3436, 3448 stored in memory.

By way of example, the first signal profile 3420 may be associated withan explosion. For instance, an explosion may include a large peakintensity value that is produced over a relatively short period of time,or duration, 3416. As shown, the first signal profile 3420 has a firstpeak intensity value (P1) between a first time (T1) and a second time(T2). In some embodiments, the first signal profile 3420 can correspondto temperature, pressure, sound, light, etc., and/or combinationsthereof. The first signal profile 3420 may include at least one lowvalue, or valley (V1). Other characteristic information may serve touniquely identify the first signal profile 3420. This othercharacteristic information can include other peak intensity values(e.g., P2), other valleys, curve shape, curve formula, intermediate datapoints between peak and valley values, and/or other data associated withthe first signal profile 3420.

FIG. 34B shows a graphical representation 3424 of a second signalprofile 3428 that is associated with a second type of emergency and/orsafety signal. This second signal profile 3428 may be stored in a memoryassociated with a vehicle 104. In one embodiment, the memory may be thememory 308 of the vehicle control system 204. In other embodiments, thesecond signal profile 3428 may be stored in a memory including one ormore of system data 208, data storage 320, and/or profile data 252.Among other things, the signal profiles 3420, 3428, 3436, 3448 can beused by the alert module 2312 in determining whether a detected signalmatches, or corresponds to, a signal profile 3420, 3428, 3436, 3448stored in memory.

For example, the second signal profile 3428 may be associated with anemergency and/or safety alert (e.g., a siren, flashing light, etc.). Anemergency and/or safety alert can include cyclic (e.g., sinusoidal,etc.) intensity values over time. As shown, the second signal profile3428 may have a peak intensity value (P) and a valley intensity value(V) that are substantially similar between recorded time intervals (t1,t2, t3, etc.). In some embodiments, the second signal profile 3428 cancorrespond to sound, light, etc., and/or combinations thereof. Othercharacteristic information may serve to uniquely identify the secondsignal profile 3428. This other characteristic information can includeother peak intensity values, other valleys, curve shape, curve formula,intermediate data points between peak and valley values, and/or otherdata associated with the second signal profile 3428.

FIG. 34C shows a graphical representation 3432 of a third signal profile3436 that is associated with a third type of emergency and/or safetysignal. This third signal profile 3436 may be stored in a memoryassociated with a vehicle 104. In one embodiment, the memory may be thememory 308 of the vehicle control system 204. In other embodiments, thethird signal profile 3436 may be stored in a memory including one ormore of system data 208, data storage 320, and/or profile data 252.Among other things, the signal profiles 3420, 3428, 3436, 3448 can beused by the alert module 2312 in determining whether a detected signalmatches, or corresponds to, a signal profile 3420, 3428, 3436, 3448stored in memory.

In some embodiments, the third signal profile 3436 may be associatedwith a particular emergency and/or safety siren. The particularemergency and/or safety siren can include a partially cyclic (e.g.,sinusoidal, etc.) set of intensity values over time. As shown, the thirdsignal profile 3436 may have a first peak intensity value (P1) for afirst portion 3434 of the signal profile 3436 and a second peakintensity value (P2) for a second portion 3438 of the third signalprofile 3436. In some embodiments, the any one or more of the signalprofiles 3420, 3428, 3436, 3448, may include one or more portions havinglike or different characteristics. In some embodiments, the third signalprofile 3436 may correspond to sound emitted by a particular emergencyand/or safety siren. Other characteristic information may serve touniquely identify the third signal profile 3436. This othercharacteristic information can include other peak intensity values,other valleys, curve shape, curve formula, intermediate data pointsbetween peak and valley values, and/or other data associated with thesecond signal profile 3436.

Although only a limited number of representative signal profiles 3420,3428, 3436, 3448, are shown, it should be appreciated that any number ofsignal profiles can be stored in memory and associated with a uniquetype of emergency and/or safety signal. Accordingly, the disclosure ofvarious signal profiles should not be limited to only the signalprofiles 3420, 3428, 3436, 3448 shown in FIGS. 34A-D.

FIG. 34D shows a graphical representation 3440 of a detected signal 3444superimposed with a stored signal profile 3448. The stored signalprofile 3448 can be any signal profile associated with a particularemergency and/or safety signal. For the sake of example, the storedsignal profile 3448 may be the first signal profile 3420. When adetected signal 3444 is analyzed by the alert module 2312, the alertmodule 2312 may compare characteristics of the detected signal 3444 tocharacteristics of the one or more signal profiles. In this example, thealert module 2312 may have determined that the first signal profile 3420substantially matches the detected signal 3444. For instance, thegeneral shapes of each curve 3444, 3448 are substantially similar, withthe exception of offsets 3442, 3446 between peak intensity values (P1S1,P1S2). Additionally or alternatively, the peak intensity value (P1S2)associated with the detected signal 3444 occurs at substantially thesame time as the peak intensity value (P1S1) associated with the storedsignal profile 3448. Similarly, the alert module 2312 may use this datato exclude the other signal profiles (e.g., second signal profile 3428,third signal profile 3436, etc.) from being identified as matching thedetected signal 3444.

In some embodiments, the alert module 2312 may compare the dataassociated with the detected signal against data stored for one or moreof the stored signal profiles. This comparison may include referring torules stored in memory that define predetermined threshold settings,values, and/or data for matching. For example, the alert module 2312 mayidentify a detected signal 3444 as matching a specific signal profilewhen a percentage of data points follow, fall within, and/or are alignedwith the data associated with a signal profile. Upon determining thatthe detected signal 3444 matches a stored signal profile 3448 (e.g., inthis example the first signal profile 3420), the alert module 2312 canpresent information about the detected signal 3444 to a deviceassociated with the vehicle 104. Continuing the example above, theinformation presented to the device may include identifying the detectedsignal as being associated with an explosion. Other presentations of thesignal are disclosed herein.

An embodiment of a method 3500 for presenting signal information to adevice associated with a vehicle 104 is shown in FIG. 35. While ageneral order for the steps of the method 3500 is shown in FIG. 35, themethod 3500 can include more or fewer steps or can arrange the order ofthe steps differently than those shown in FIG. 35. Generally, the method3500 starts with a start operation 3504 and ends with an end operation3528. The method 3500 can be executed as a set of computer-executableinstructions executed by a computer system and encoded or stored on acomputer readable medium. Hereinafter, the method 3500 shall beexplained with reference to the systems, components, modules, software,data structures, user interfaces, etc. described in conjunction withFIGS. 1-34.

The method 3500 begins at step 3504 and proceeds by detecting and/orreceiving a signal (step 3508). The signal may be sent as at least oneof an acoustic, wireless, visual, and/or combination thereof, form ofsignal transmission. Typical acoustic and/or auditory signals mayinclude one or more of sirens, horns, alarms, bells, whistles, soundshaving a frequency, intensity, and/or duration above or below apredetermined threshold, and the like. In some cases, the acousticsignals may be undetectable by the human ear but can be detected via oneor more sensors associated with a vehicle 104 and/or communicationdevice. Wireless signals may refer to signals generated by an emergencysource and conveyed by or to at least one receiver via a wirelesscommunications protocol and/or broadcast. Examples of wirelesscommunications can include, but are in no way limited to, IR, RF, Wi-Fi,electric signaling, satellite communications, radio broadcast,line-of-sight communications, AMBER Alerts™, Emergency Alert System(EAS) alerts, National Weather Service (NWS) alerts, Federal EmergencyManagement Agency (FEMA) alerts, etc., and/or any other broadcast alertsor signals. The wireless signals may be configured to include a varietyof information. For instance, the wireless signals may includeinformation that identifies a source of the signal, an emergency type,vehicle control instructions, location information, destinationinformation, estimated time of arrival, etc., and/or combinationsthereof. Visual signals can include, but are not limited to, lights,strobes, IR, laser, etc., and/or characteristics associated therewith.For example, light characteristics may include information relating tocolor or wavelength, intensity, frequency, duration, cyclinginformation, etc., and/or combinations thereof.

In any event, the signals may be detected and/or received by one or moresensors and/or modules associated with a vehicle 104. Examples ofsensors associated with a vehicle 104 include, but are in no way limitedto, at least one of the components of the sensor/sensor subsystems 340,communication subsystems 344, navigation subsystems 336, radardetectors, communications modules (e.g., radio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, NFC,wireless Ethernet, point-to-point communications, etc.) transducers(e.g., pressure, light, etc.) microphones 886, cameras 878 (e.g., imagesensors, still image capture sensors, video image sensors, etc.),combinations thereof, and the like.

The method 3500 continues by determining the characteristics of thedetected signal (step 3512). In some embodiments, the determination ofsignal characteristics may be performed by the alert module 2312. Signalcharacteristics may include any data relating to the detected signal. Inone embodiment, for example especially with regard to acoustic and/orvisual signals, the signal characteristics may include a measuredintensity of the detected signal over time. Intensity can refer toloudness, volume, brightness, wavelength, color, and/or otherquantifiable data related to the signal. Additionally or alternatively,the characteristics of the signal may include frequency, repetition,curve shape representing data collected from the signal (e.g., generatedvia mathematical function, best-fit curve information, etc.),combinations thereof, and the like. In any event, this characteristicdata may be recorded and stored in memory.

In one embodiment, especially where the signal is a wirelesscommunication signal, the signal itself may contain information relatingto the signal and/or signal source. In this example, the informationrelating to the signal and/or signal source corresponds to signalcharacteristics. The information may be contained in a packet andinclude data formatted for transmission to a communications moduleassociated with the vehicle 104. Information associated with the signalcan be stored in a header, payload portion, footer, and/or other portionof the packet.

Next, the method 3500 proceeds by determining whether the detectedsignal is an emergency and/or safety signal (step 3516). In someembodiments, this determination may be made by the alert module 2312.For example, the alert module 2312 may compare the characteristics ofthe detected signal with one or more stored signal profiles in memory.In the event that the signal cannot be identified, or if the signal isidentified as belonging to a non-emergency and/or non-safety signal, themethod 3500 may end at step 3528. However, in the event that at least aportion of the characteristics of the detected signal match a storedsignal profile, the method 3500 may proceed by determining whether topresent the signal, or information about the signal, to a communicationdevice associated with the vehicle 104. As provided above, this matchingmay be based on predetermined limits, thresholds, and/or other settingsstored as matching rules.

The method 3500 continues by determining whether to present the signal,or information about the signal, to a communication device associatedwith the vehicle 104 (step 3520). In some embodiments, the signal orinformation about the signal may be prevented from being presented tothe communication device and/or user of the vehicle 104 and the method3500 may end at step 3528. For instance, where a vehicle 104 is pulledover, in an emergency state, and/or otherwise not being operated, thealert module 2312 may determine not to present the signal. As anotherexample, a vehicle 104 may detect and/or receive a signal, but thesignal may not apply to the vehicle 104. Continuing this example, thevehicle 104 may have detected an emergency signal from an ambulance onthe opposite side of a road that is separated by a physical median. Thelaws associated with emergency signals in a given area may provide thatvehicles are not required to pull over when a physical median separatesa roadway. In this example, the signal would not be presented to thecommunication device of the vehicle on the opposite side of the road. Ascan be appreciated, the alert module 2312 may refer to one or more rulesstored in memory to determine rules, settings, and/or preferences forpresenting a signal and/or information about a signal to a communicationdevice of a vehicle 104.

In some embodiments, determining to present the signal, or informationabout the signal, to a communication device associated with a vehicle104 may be based on an urgency and/or importance of the signal. Forinstance, a street sweeper in the far-right lane of a roadway may emit asafety signal. Although this safety signal may be important to vehiclesin the far-right lane, the safety signal may not be important to usersin the far-left lane of the roadway. Accordingly, the alert module 2312may determine to present the signal to vehicles in the far-right lanebut not to vehicles in the far-left lane.

The method 3500 continues by determining the type of signalpresentation, or alert, for the signal and presents the type of signalpresentation determined to the communication device associated with thevehicle 104 (step 3524). Signal presentation can include, but is notlimited to, repeating the signal, playing the signal over one or morespeakers 880 of the vehicle 104, providing a visual alert about thesignal to at least one display of the vehicle 104, providing a hapticalert about the signal at a component or system of the vehicle 104,providing an acoustic alert about the signal over the one or morespeakers 880 of the vehicle, controlling at least one feature/control ofthe vehicle 104, etc., and/or combinations thereof. The alert may beconfigured as a notification having information corresponding to thesignal and/or an emergency event or condition associated with thesignal. Other embodiments related to presenting signals and/orinformation associated with the signals to the communication device ofthe vehicle 104 are disclosed herein. Once the alert is presented, themethod 3500 may return to step 3508 or end at step 3528.

An embodiment of a method 3600 for automatically determining apresentation order for signal information alerts is shown in FIG. 36.While a general order for the steps of the method 3600 is shown in FIG.36, the method 3600 can include more or fewer steps or can arrange theorder of the steps differently than those shown in FIG. 36. Generally,the method 3600 starts with a start operation 3604 and ends with an endoperation 3636. The method 3600 can be executed as a set ofcomputer-executable instructions executed by a computer system andencoded or stored on a computer readable medium. Hereinafter, the method3600 shall be explained with reference to the systems, components,modules, software, data structures, user interfaces, etc. described inconjunction with FIGS. 1-35.

Among other things, the method 3600 described herein provides apresentation order for signal alerts/notifications. It is anticipatedthat certain users of vehicles 104 may react differently to variouspresentation types. The presentation types may be automatically and/ormanually configured, adjusted, and/or updated. For instance, a userreceiving an acoustic, or audible, alert may be startled by the noiseassociated with such an alert. On the other hand, a hearing impaireduser may not readily notice acoustic/audible alerts. In accordance withembodiments of the present disclosure, the presentation of signal alertsmay be configured to provide one or more signal alerts to suit abilitiesand/or preferences of a user. The presentation order may be based on anurgency associated with the signal, a severity of an emergency thatcaused the signal to generated, stored preferences, user interaction,and/or the like. Preferences and/or settings may be stored in memory andeven associated with a particular user profile 252

Additionally or alternatively, the one or more signal alerts may bepresented to at least one device associated with the vehicle to ensurethe signal is acknowledged by the user of the vehicle 104. In oneembodiment, the signal alert may require acknowledgment by a user of thevehicle 104. Acknowledgment may be made by a user providing an input atthe vehicle 104. The input can be one or more of a selection of a userinterface element, a vehicle maneuver, a voice input, a reaction of theuser (e.g., detected via one or more sensors of the vehicle 104, forexample as described in conjunction with FIG. 6B, etc.), and the like.

In the event that a user does not respond to or acknowledge a signalalert requiring acknowledgment, the method 3600 may increase aninvasiveness associated with the presented alert. For instance, a visualalert may be discreet to a user while an acoustic alert may be moreinvasive, or noticeable, and a haptic alert (e.g., vibration, etc.) maybe even more invasive, or noticeable, than the acoustic alert. As can beappreciated, the invasiveness of each presentation type may beincreased. For example, a visual alert provided as a popup on a displaymay at least one of increase in size, be accompanied with animation,change color, change brightness, etc. As another example, an acousticalert emitted as a sound played by a speaker 880 in a vehicle 104 may atleast one of increase in volume, change frequency, change amplitude,change waveform, increase intensity, etc. As yet another example, ahaptic alert emitted as a vibration or movement of one or morecomponents in a vehicle 104 may at least one of increase in intensity,change frequency, change amplitude, change waveform, increase power,etc. It should be appreciated that alert types may be combined toincrease invasiveness. For instance, a visual alert may be accompaniedby an acoustic alert, and so on.

In any event, the method 3600 begins at step 3604 and proceeds when asignal alert is presented to a communication device associated with avehicle 104 (step 3608). In one embodiment, the method 3600 disclosedherein may proceed from step 3524 as described in conjunction with FIG.35. As provided above, the signal alert may be configured as a visualnotification (e.g., presented to a display device 212, 248, 882,associated with the vehicle 104, etc.), acoustic notification (e.g.,presented to at least one speaker 880 of the vehicle 104, or at leastone speaker of the device 212, 248, 882, associated with the vehicle104, etc.), haptic notification (e.g., vibrating a seat, steering wheel,gear shift lever and/or stick, etc.), other notifications, and/orcombinations thereof. For instance, a visual notification may appear asa popup on a dash display, or console, of a vehicle 104. The visualnotification may include information about the signal. In someembodiments, the visual notification may include a user-selectableoption. This user-selectable option may be used to dismiss thenotification (e.g., removing it from being displayed to the displaydevice, minimizing the notification, etc.), acknowledge thenotification, request additional information about the notification,etc., and/or combinations thereof

The method 3600 continues by determining whether the signal alert isaccepted and/or acknowledged by a user of the vehicle 104 (step 3612).Acknowledgment may be made by a user affirmatively or passively.Affirmative acknowledgment may include an active response and/or inputprovided by the user. This type of input may include the user making avehicle movement or maneuver in temporal proximity to receiving thealert, selecting a user interface element (e.g., presented to thedisplay device of a vehicle 104, etc.), providing a voice command,combinations thereof, and/or the like. Passive acknowledgment mayinclude observations made about a user. For example, a user may beobserved, by one or more of the sensors of the vehicle 104, looking at avisual signal alert, making a voice comment about a signal alert, orsome other non-affirmative acknowledgment.

In some embodiments, determining whether the signal alert is accepted oracknowledged may include the alert module 2312 determining whether anyresponse or acknowledgment by the user is satisfactory for the type ofsignal. For example, alerting a user of a safety hazard may not requireany action by the user. However, alerting a user of an approachingemergency vehicle may require the user to pull over to the side of aroadway. In one embodiment, a satisfactory response of a user may bestored as rules in memory and associated with a corresponding signalalert. The alert module 2312 may refer to these rules to determinewhether the signal is properly accepted. In any event, if the userresponds to the signal alert in a satisfactory manner (e.g., providingthe response defined by the rules, etc.), the method 3600 ends at step3636.

In the event that the signal alert is not accepted or acknowledged asprovided in step 3612, the method 3600 proceeds by determining whether asubsequent signal alert type is available (step 3616). The subsequentsignal alert type may include, but is not limited to, an additionalalert type (e.g., visual, acoustic, haptic, etc.), a change to an alerttype (e.g., change in intensity, presentation, etc.), and/or the like.In some embodiments, a signal alert may have been presented to a uservia two or more of the alert types and an acceptable acknowledgment ofthe signal alert not determined by the alert module 2312. In this case,the alert module 2312 may determine that no subsequent signal alert typeis available. In one embodiment, the signal alert may require immediateacknowledgment by the user and when no such acknowledgment is determinedthen no subsequent signal alert type is available.

In any event, when it is determined that no subsequent signal alert typeis available, the method 3600 proceeds by determining to control thevehicle 104 (step 3628). Determining whether a vehicle should becontrolled may be based at least partially on the rules associated withthe signal alert. For instance, some emergency signals (e.g., policesignals, fire department signals, ambulance signals, etc.) may requirecontrol of a vehicle while other emergency and/or safety signals (e.g.,tornado warnings, AMBER Alerts™, some road hazards, etc.) may notrequire control. The settings and/or rules defining particular vehiclecontrols, especially control of vehicular navigation functions, may berestricted to authorized entities (e.g., police, government agency,manufacturer, etc.). In the event that it is determined not to controlthe vehicle 104, the method 3600 ends at step 3636.

In some cases, the method 3600 continues when it is determined thatcontrol of the vehicle features is required to control the vehiclefeatures (step 3632). Control of the vehicle 104 may includemanipulating one or more vehicle controls. For example, the alert module2312 may communicate with the vehicle control system 204 and force thevehicle 104 to pull over, slow down, stop, make a turn, follownavigation directions, and/or perform any other driving maneuver orseries of maneuvers. Additionally or alternatively, control of vehiclefeatures may include adjusting one or more components and/or subsystemsof the vehicle 104. For instance, the alert module 2312 may communicatewith one or more components of the media subsystems 348 to adjust amedia playing. Adjustment may include pausing a media stream, loweringthe volume associated with a media playing, and/or otherwiseinterrupting a media playback. This control may allow a signal alert tobe better noticed by a user (e.g., by reducing sensory distractions,etc.). After the at least one feature of the vehicle 104 is controlled,the method 3600 may end.

In some embodiments, the method 3600 may determine at step 3616 that asubsequent signal alert type is available. In this case, the method 3600proceeds by determining whether to present the subsequent signal alert(step 3620). As provided above, the subsequent signal alert type mayinclude, but is not limited to, a replacement alert (e.g., of adifferent alert type than presented in step 3608), an additional alerttype (e.g., visual, acoustic, haptic, etc.), a change to an alert type(e.g., change in intensity, presentation, etc.), and/or the like. In oneembodiment, the subsequent signal alert type may be configured to bemore invasive than a previously presented signal alert type. Forinstance, a user in a vehicle 104 may be more apt to ignore, or notrespond to, a visual alert presented to a display device than anacoustic alert playing a sound via one or more speakers 880 associatedwith the vehicle 104. As can be appreciated, the user who may be able toignore, or not respond to, an acoustic signal alert type (e.g.,especially if the user is hearing impaired, or if the acoustic signal isoutside of a frequency range detectable by the user, etc.), may respondwhen presented with a haptic alert type. Determining whether to presentthe subsequent signal alert may be based at least partially on rulesassociated with the signal, user preferences, settings, vehicle state,etc. The method 3600 may continue by presenting the subsequent signalalert to at least one device associated with the vehicle 104 in step3624.

Referring now to FIG. 37, an embodiment of a data structure 3700 forstoring signal information, which may be part of an emergency and/orsafety signal, is shown in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure. In some embodiments, the data structure 3700 may beassociated with a wireless communication signal received by a vehicle104. The data structure 3700 may include one or more of data files ordata objects 3704, 3708, 3712, 3716, 3720, 3724, 3728. Thus, the datastructure 3700 may represent different types of databases or datastorage, for example, object-oriented data bases, flat file datastructures, relational database, or other types of data storagearrangements. Embodiments of the data structure 3700 disclosed hereinmay be separate, combined, and/or distributed. As indicated in FIG. 37,there may be more or fewer portions in the data structure 3700, asrepresented by ellipses 3732. Any of the information in the datastructure may be used by the alert module 2312 in determining whether aparticular response or acknowledgment is required from the user of avehicle 104.

The signal information data structure 3700 may include an emergencysource field 3704. In some embodiments, the emergency source field 3704can identify a source and/or signaling entity of the emergency signal.This source identification can include information related to whetherthe signal originated from a particular entity, has been relayed by anintermediate entity, and/or if the signal is unique to a particularentity. Additionally or alternatively, the emergency source field 3704may include a name of an organization, agency, individual, or othergroup from which the source originated. For instance, an emergencysignal generated by a police car traveling to the scene of an accidentmay include an identification of the police car in the emergency sourcefield 3704. This identification may include names or badge numbers ofpolice officers in the police car. In some embodiments, this informationmay be presented to a communication device of a vehicle 104 to inform auser of the emergency source. Among other things, this information maybe used by the alert module 2312 in determining whether the signaloriginated from an authorized source. Typical sources can include one ormore vehicles, alert systems, radio towers, wireless communicationmodules, emergency dispatch systems, traffic control systems, servers,and/or any other module configured to generate or relay at least one ofthe signals.

The emergency type field 3708 may include information corresponding tothe emergency type associated with the signal. Emergency types caninclude general or specific information corresponding to the emergencyfor which the signal is generated. For example, a fire truck may betraveling to a fire may provide a signal having “Three-Alarm Fire” or“Fire Response Call” in the emergency type. As another example, the firetruck traveling to the fire may provide specific information, such as“Fire at the Intersection of Colfax Ave. and Broadway St.” in theemergency type field 3708. In some embodiments, this information may bepresented to a communication device of a vehicle 104 to alert a user ofdetailed emergency type information. Additionally or alternatively, theinformation in the emergency type field 3708 may be used by the alertmodule 2312 in determining whether a particular response oracknowledgment is required from the user of a vehicle 104.

The urgency level field 3712 may include information corresponding to anurgency of the emergency associated with the signal. The urgency mayinclude a rating, range, or other identification of the urgencyassociated with an emergency. For example, a rating may be based on ascale of 1 to 10, where 1 indicates a low urgency and 10 indicates ahigh urgency. As can be appreciated, various values in the scale canindicate the level of emergency relative to a low and/or high urgency.In some cases, the urgency level may be configured to change dependingon one or more factors. For instance, as an emergency escalates inimportance, the urgency level may increase one or more levels. Asanother example, the urgency level may increase as a vehicle 104 and anemergency signaling entity get closer in proximity to one another.Similar to the emergency type field 3708, the information in the urgencylevel field 3712 may be used by the alert module 2312 in determiningwhether a particular response or acknowledgment is required from theuser of a vehicle 104. In some embodiments, the information in thisfield 3712 may be presented to a communication device of a vehicle 104to alert a user of the urgency level of the emergency.

The vehicle control instructions field 3716 may include information forcontrolling one or more features of a vehicle 104. In some embodiments,this information may be used by the alert module 2312 in determining acontrol of the vehicle features as described in conjunction with steps3628 and 3632 of FIG. 36. The vehicle control instructions may includeinstructions configured to automatically control a vehicle operationand/or navigation (e.g., pulling the vehicle over, slowing the vehicle,etc.) In one embodiment, the vehicle control instructions field 3716 mayinclude information provided by a signaling entity for the user of avehicle to follow. These instructions may include navigationalinformation, driving instructions, and/or other vehicle controlinstructions. By way of example, a police car may be traveling along aroad toward a vehicle 104. In this example, the vehicle 104 may be in alane that the police car wishes to use. In accordance with embodimentsof this disclosure, the police car may provide vehicle controlinstructions to the vehicle in the field 3716 to instruct the vehicle tomove out of the lane. In some embodiments, the information in this field3712 may be presented to a communication device of a vehicle 104 topresent instructions to a user of the vehicle 104. The instructions maybe presented in at least one of visual (e.g., displayed to a displaydevice, etc.), acoustic (e.g., played over a speaker, etc.), and/orhaptic (e.g., vibrating on a specific side of the user's seat toindicate a direction to avoid, etc.) form.

The location information field 3720 may include informationcorresponding to a location of the emergency, emergency vehicle, orother signaling entity providing the signal. In some embodiments, thelocation information may be presented to a communication device of avehicle 104 to inform the user of a vehicle 104 of a location of thesignaling entity. For example, the location information may be presentedas an icon, or other graphical representation, of an emergency vehicleon a map displayed to a display device of the vehicle 104. This locationinformation may include lane information, speed, acceleration, and/orother temporal and/or geographical information associated with thesignaling entity.

The destination information field 3724 may include informationcorresponding to a destination of the emergency vehicle providing theemergency signal. This destination information may be used by the alertmodule 2312 of a vehicle 104 in determining whether to alert a user ofthe vehicle 104. For instance, a vehicle 104 that is in close proximityto an emergency vehicle providing the emergency signal, but is headingin a different destination, or direction, than the destination containedin the field 3724 may not be alerted. In contrast, a vehicle 104 that isin close proximity to an emergency vehicle providing the emergencysignal, and is heading toward the same destination, or direction, as thedestination contained in the field 3724 may be alerted. In someembodiments, the destination information may be presented to acommunication device of a vehicle 104 to inform the user of a vehicle104 of a destination of the signaling entity. For example, thedestination information may be presented as an icon, or other graphicalrepresentation, of an emergency vehicle on a map displayed to a displaydevice of the vehicle 104.

The ETA field 3728 may include information used by the alert module 2312in determining an estimated time of arrival of the signaling entity oremergency vehicle. The estimated time of arrival can correspond to oneor more of an estimated time of arrival at the destination provided inthe destination information field 3724, a location associated with thevehicle 104, and a position in proximity to the vehicle 104 anddestination. In some embodiments, the estimated time of arrival may bepresented to a communication device of a vehicle 104 to inform the userof a vehicle 104 of the estimated time of arrival of the signalingentity. For example, the estimated time of arrival may be presented as acountdown or count-up timer, a time-based graphical representation,progress bar, and/or other representation to indicate an amount of timebefore the emergency vehicle arrives at a position.

FIG. 38 is a block diagram of signal communications system 3800 inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, thesignal communications system 3800 is configured to provide signalcommunications to one or more vehicles 3804A-F traveling along a seriesof paths. In one embodiment, the paths may include one or more roadsarranged about an intersection 3820. A first roadway is shown withvehicles 3804A-C and emergency vehicle 3808A traveling along firstdirection 3812. A second roadway is shown with vehicles 3804D,E andemergency vehicle 3808B traveling along second direction 3814. Vehicle3804F is shown traveling along third direction 3816 on a third roadway.The section of roadways shown includes an intersection 3820 having atraffic control system 3828 (e.g., traffic lights, etc.). Other featuresof the section of roadways shown include a physical median 3832(separating a portion of the first roadway from a portion of the secondroadway), a road division marking 3836A (marking a separation of aportion of the first roadway from a portion of the second roadway), anda lane marking 3836B.

The signal communications system 3800 may include one or more signalingentities 228, 3804C,D, 3808A,B, 3838, 3840-C. These signaling entitiescan be configured as at least one of relaying signaling entity,initiating signaling entity, and emergency signal source. In someembodiments, a server 228 can communicate across a communicationsnetwork 224 to provide a signal for broadcast via one or more wirelesscommunication modules 3838. Examples of wireless communication module3838 may include, but are in no way limited to, a cell tower, radiotower, Wi-Fi hot spot, network access point, or other wirelesscommunications system. Signaling entities may be associated with one ormore path features.

For example, crossing signaling entity 3840 may be associated with acrossing 3844, school zone, crosswalk, or other physical location/regionadjacent to a road. In some cases, a relaying signaling entity 3840B maybe dispersed about a signal communications system 3800 to relay signalsgenerated by another signaling entity. As an example, relaying signalingentity 3840B may receive a signal from the server 228, via the wirelesscommunication module 3838, regarding an emergency. This emergency signalmay be communicated, via the relaying signaling entity 3840B, to one ormore vehicles 3804E,F that are in proximity to the relaying signalingentity 3840B. In some embodiments, a signal may be sent from onerelaying signaling entity 3840B to another signaling entity 3808Cforming a daisy-chain communication network of roadside devices. In someembodiments, a signal may be sent from one vehicle 3804D to anothervehicle 3804C forming a daisy-chain communication network of vehicles.As another example, the relaying signaling entity 3840B may receive asignal from another signaling entity 3804F, 3808A,B, relating to anemergency. Similar to above, this emergency signal may be communicated,via the relaying signaling entity 3840B, to one or more vehicles 3804E,Fand/or other relaying signaling entity 3840C that is in proximity to therelaying signaling entity 3840B.

In some embodiments, and as provided herein, one or more emergencyvehicles 3808A,B may be traveling to an emergency destination 3824. As afirst emergency vehicle 3808A is traveling along a road, the vehicle3808A may provide an emergency signal to at least alert those inproximity of the emergency vehicle 3808A of the presence of theemergency vehicle 3808A. The signal may be a siren, flashing lights,and/or a wireless communication signal emitted by the first emergencyvehicle 3808A. In the case of a siren, nearby vehicles 3804A,B maydetect the sound of the emergency vehicle 3808A using one or moreexternal sensors, such as the environmental sensors 708E (e.g., audiosensors 764, etc.) as described in conjunction with FIG. 7B. In the caseof flashing lights, nearby vehicles 3804A,B may detect the light emittedfrom the emergency vehicle 3808A using one or more external sensors,such as the environmental sensors 708E (e.g., camera sensors 760,infrared sensors 740, motion sensors 744, backup cameras, etc.) and/orother sensors as described herein. Where the signal is sent as awireless communication signal emitted by the first emergency vehicle3808A, the wireless signal sensors 758 and/or other communicationsmodules associated with the vehicle 104 may detect and/or receive thesignal.

In response to detecting and/or receiving the signal, the vehicle 104may perform the methods 3500, 3600 described in conjunction with FIGS.35 and 36 to determine signal characteristics and a presentation for adevice associated with the vehicle 104. This determination may includeidentifying the detected signal by comparing or matching characteristicsof the detected signal with one or more signal profiles stored in memoryas described in conjunction with FIGS. 34 and 35.

In some embodiments, the emergency vehicle 3808A may emit a signalhaving emergency information that can be used by the vehicle 104 indetermining an appropriate response to the signal. This signal mayinclude the information of the data structure 3700 described inconjunction with FIG. 37. For example, as first emergency vehicle 3808Ais traveling to emergency destination 3824, the emergency vehicle 3808Amay provide destination information in a destination information field3724. The destination information may include an expected path ofnavigation. Continuing the example above, the first emergency vehicle3808A may have an expected path of navigation 3810A defining at leastone of turn-by-turn directions, lane selection, required directionalchanges, and more. Second emergency vehicle 3808B may be traveling tothe same emergency destination 3824 via a different expected path ofnavigation 3810B. As shown in FIG. 38, the position of second vehicle3804B is in the expected path of navigation 3810A of the first emergencyvehicle 3808A. In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure,the alert module 2312, upon reviewing this destination information, mayalert the user to change lanes. In some embodiments, the informationprovided may alter a travel direction or navigational informationassociated with a vehicle 104. It is anticipated that the expected pathof navigation 3810A may be communicated to any of the vehicles 3804A-Fwithin a communication range of at least one signaling entity. Forexample, information describing that first emergency vehicle 3808A mayturn left through the intersection 3820 can be communicated to one ormore of approaching vehicles 3804D and 3804F.

As can be appreciated, some vehicles may not be equipped with one ormore wireless communication modules configured to receive a wirelesscommunication signal emitted by a signaling entity or an emergencyvehicle 3808A,B may not be emitting a wireless communication signal. Inany event, location information and/or expected path of navigation maybe determined by a vehicle based at least partially on characteristicsassociated with an emitted visual and/or acoustic signal. For example,the determination of location information may be made based ondifferences in the characteristics of sounds emitted by an emergencyvehicle at a first position and time 3808A′ and by the emergency vehicle3808A at a second time and position. These characteristics may includesound quality characteristics, such as, volume, intensity, frequency,and/or detected signal interruption. Additionally or alternatively, theDoppler shift, or effect, characteristics associated with the soundsemitted by an emergency vehicle 3808A over time can provide directionaland/or location information of the emergency vehicle 3808A (e.g., usinga Doppler effect algorithm based on an analysis of the sounds detected,etc.). Using this characteristic information, the position, direction,and/or speed of an emergency vehicle 3808A,B may be determined and evenprovided to a user of a vehicle 104 in the form of an alert or othernotification presented to a device of the vehicle 104. For example, analert may be visually displayed to a display device of a vehicle 104showing and/or stating that the emergency vehicle is approaching from aparticular side of the vehicle, or direction.

In some cases, the vehicles 3804A-F may utilize one or more radarsensors configured to detect a specific radar signature associated withemergency vehicles 3808A,B. The specific radar signature can be achievedby utilizing special surfaces, reflectors, or characteristics of avehicle (e.g., grating, mass definition, unique vehicle signature,etc.). In one embodiment, special surfaces and/or reflectors may bedisposed on the outside of an emergency vehicle 3808A,B. Additionally oralternatively, a wireless signal may be emitted by a signaling entityinstructing a vehicle to activate at least one radar sensor fordetecting one or more emergency vehicles.

The exemplary systems and methods of this disclosure have been describedin relation to configurable vehicle consoles and associated devices.However, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure, thepreceding description omits a number of known structures and devices.This omission is not to be construed as a limitation of the scopes ofthe claims. Specific details are set forth to provide an understandingof the present disclosure. It should however be appreciated that thepresent disclosure may be practiced in a variety of ways beyond thespecific detail set forth herein.

Furthermore, while the exemplary aspects, embodiments, options, and/orconfigurations illustrated herein show the various components of thesystem collocated, certain components of the system can be locatedremotely, at distant portions of a distributed network, such as a LANand/or the Internet, or within a dedicated system. Thus, it should beappreciated, that the components of the system can be combined in to oneor more devices, such as a Personal Computer (PC), laptop, netbook,smart phone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), tablet, etc., orcollocated on a particular node of a distributed network, such as ananalog and/or digital telecommunications network, a packet-switchnetwork, or a circuit-switched network. It will be appreciated from thepreceding description, and for reasons of computational efficiency, thatthe components of the system can be arranged at any location within adistributed network of components without affecting the operation of thesystem. For example, the various components can be located in a switchsuch as a PBX and media server, gateway, in one or more communicationsdevices, at one or more users' premises, or some combination thereof.Similarly, one or more functional portions of the system could bedistributed between a telecommunications device(s) and an associatedcomputing device.

Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the various links connectingthe elements can be wired or wireless links, or any combination thereof,or any other known or later developed element(s) that is capable ofsupplying and/or communicating data to and from the connected elements.These wired or wireless links can also be secure links and may becapable of communicating encrypted information. Transmission media usedas links, for example, can be any suitable carrier for electricalsignals, including coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, and maytake the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated duringradio-wave and infra-red data communications.

Also, while the flowcharts have been discussed and illustrated inrelation to a particular sequence of events, it should be appreciatedthat changes, additions, and omissions to this sequence can occurwithout materially affecting the operation of the disclosed embodiments,configuration, and aspects.

A number of variations and modifications of the disclosure can be used.It would be possible to provide for some features of the disclosurewithout providing others.

It should be appreciated that the various processing modules (e.g.,processors, vehicle systems, vehicle subsystems, modules, etc.), forexample, can perform, monitor, and/or control critical and non-criticaltasks, functions, and operations, such as interaction with and/ormonitoring and/or control of critical and non-critical on board sensorsand vehicle operations (e.g., engine, transmission, throttle, brakepower assist/brake lock-up, electronic suspension, traction andstability control, parallel parking assistance, occupant protectionsystems, power steering assistance, self-diagnostics, event datarecorders, steer-by-wire and/or brake-by-wire operations,vehicle-to-vehicle interactions, vehicle-to-infrastructure interactions,partial and/or full automation, telematics, navigation/SPS, multimediasystems, audio systems, rear seat entertainment systems, game consoles,tuners (SDR), heads-up display, night vision, lane departure warning,adaptive cruise control, adaptive headlights, collision warning, blindspot sensors, park/reverse assistance, tire pressure monitoring, trafficsignal recognition, vehicle tracking (e.g., LoJack™),dashboard/instrument cluster, lights, seats, climate control, voicerecognition, remote keyless entry, security alarm systems, andwiper/window control). Processing modules can be enclosed in an advancedEMI-shielded enclosure containing multiple expansion modules. Processingmodules can have a “black box” or flight data recorder technology,containing an event (or driving history) recorder (containingoperational information collected from vehicle on board sensors andprovided by nearby or roadside signal transmitters), a crash survivablememory unit, an integrated controller and circuitry board, and networkinterfaces.

Critical system controller(s) can control, monitor, and/or operatecritical systems. Critical systems may include one or more of (dependingon the particular vehicle) monitoring, controlling, operating the ECU,TCU, door settings, window settings, blind spot monitor, monitoring,controlling, operating the safety equipment (e.g., airbag deploymentcontrol unit, collision sensor, nearby object sensing system, seat beltcontrol unit, sensors for setting the seat belt, etc.), monitoringand/or controlling certain critical sensors such as the power sourcecontroller and energy output sensor, engine temperature, oil pressuresensing, hydraulic pressure sensors, sensors for headlight and otherlights (e.g., emergency light, brake light, parking light, fog light,interior or passenger compartment light, and/or tail light state (on oroff)), vehicle control system sensors, wireless network sensor (e.g.,Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth sensors, etc.), cellular data sensor, and/orsteering/torque sensor, controlling the operation of the engine (e.g.,ignition, etc.), head light control unit, power steering, display panel,switch state control unit, power control unit, and/or brake controlunit, and/or issuing alerts to a user and/or remote monitoring entity ofpotential problems with a vehicle operation.

Non-critical system controller(s) can control, monitor, and/or operatenon-critical systems. Non-critical systems may include one or more of(depending on the particular vehicle) monitoring, controlling, operatinga non-critical system, emissions control, seating system controller andsensor, infotainment/entertainment system, monitoring certainnon-critical sensors such as ambient (outdoor) weather readings (e.g.,temperature, precipitation, wind speed, and the like), odometer readingsensor, trip mileage reading sensor, road condition sensors (e.g., wet,icy, etc.), radar transmitter/receiver output, brake wear sensor, oxygensensor, ambient lighting sensor, vision system sensor, ranging sensor,parking sensor, heating, venting, and air conditioning (HVAC) system andsensor, water sensor, air-fuel ratio meter, hall effect sensor,microphone, radio frequency (RF) sensor, and/or infrared (IR) sensor.

It is an aspect of the present disclosure that one or more of thenon-critical components and/or systems provided herein may becomecritical components and/or systems, and/or vice versa, depending on acontext associated with the vehicle.

Optionally, the systems and methods of this disclosure can beimplemented in conjunction with a special purpose computer, a programmedmicroprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuitelement(s), an ASIC or other integrated circuit, a digital signalprocessor, a hard-wired electronic or logic circuit such as discreteelement circuit, a programmable logic device or gate array such as PLD,PLA, FPGA, PAL, special purpose computer, any comparable means, or thelike. In general, any device(s) or means capable of implementing themethodology illustrated herein can be used to implement the variousaspects of this disclosure. Exemplary hardware that can be used for thedisclosed embodiments, configurations and aspects includes computers,handheld devices, telephones (e.g., cellular, Internet enabled, digital,analog, hybrids, and others), and other hardware known in the art. Someof these devices include processors (e.g., a single or multiplemicroprocessors), memory, nonvolatile storage, input devices, and outputdevices. Furthermore, alternative software implementations including,but not limited to, distributed processing or component/objectdistributed processing, parallel processing, or virtual machineprocessing can also be constructed to implement the methods describedherein.

Examples of the processors as described herein may include, but are notlimited to, at least one of Qualcomm® Snapdragon® 800 and 801, Qualcomm®Snapdragon® 610 and 615 with 4G LTE Integration and 64-bit computing,Apple® A7 processor with 64-bit architecture, Apple® M7 motioncoprocessors, Samsung® Exynos® series, the Intel® Core™ family ofprocessors, the Intel® Xeon® family of processors, the Intel® Atom™family of processors, the Intel Itanium® family of processors, Intel®Core® i5-4670K and i7-4770K 22 nm Haswell, Intel® Core® i5-3570K 22 nmIvy Bridge, the AMD® FX™ family of processors, AMD® FX-4300, FX-6300,and FX-8350 32 nm Vishera, AMD® Kaveri processors, Texas Instruments®Jacinto C6000™ automotive infotainment processors, Texas Instruments®OMAP™ automotive-grade mobile processors, ARM® Cortex™-M processors,ARM® Cortex-A and ARM926EJ-S™ processors, other industry-equivalentprocessors, and may perform computational functions using any known orfuture-developed standard, instruction set, libraries, and/orarchitecture.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be readilyimplemented in conjunction with software using object or object-orientedsoftware development environments that provide portable source code thatcan be used on a variety of computer or workstation platforms.Alternatively, the disclosed system may be implemented partially orfully in hardware using standard logic circuits or VLSI design. Whethersoftware or hardware is used to implement the systems in accordance withthis disclosure is dependent on the speed and/or efficiency requirementsof the system, the particular function, and the particular software orhardware systems or microprocessor or microcomputer systems beingutilized.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be partiallyimplemented in software that can be stored on a storage medium, executedon programmed general-purpose computer with the cooperation of acontroller and memory, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, orthe like. In these instances, the systems and methods of this disclosurecan be implemented as program embedded on personal computer such as anapplet, JAVA® or CGI script, as a resource residing on a server orcomputer workstation, as a routine embedded in a dedicated measurementsystem, system component, or the like. The system can also beimplemented by physically incorporating the system and/or method into asoftware and/or hardware system.

Although the present disclosure describes components and functionsimplemented in the aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations withreference to particular standards and protocols, the aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations are not limited to such standards andprotocols. Other similar standards and protocols not mentioned hereinare in existence and are considered to be included in the presentdisclosure. Moreover, the standards and protocols mentioned herein andother similar standards and protocols not mentioned herein areperiodically superseded by faster or more effective equivalents havingessentially the same functions. Such replacement standards and protocolshaving the same functions are considered equivalents included in thepresent disclosure.

The present disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and/orconfigurations, includes components, methods, processes, systems and/orapparatus substantially as depicted and described herein, includingvarious aspects, embodiments, configurations embodiments,subcombinations, and/or subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art willunderstand how to make and use the disclosed aspects, embodiments,and/or configurations after understanding the present disclosure. Thepresent disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and/orconfigurations, includes providing devices and processes in the absenceof items not depicted and/or described herein or in various aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations hereof, including in the absence ofsuch items as may have been used in previous devices or processes, e.g.,for improving performance, achieving ease and\or reducing cost ofimplementation.

The foregoing discussion has been presented for purposes of illustrationand description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the disclosureto the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing DetailedDescription for example, various features of the disclosure are groupedtogether in one or more aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations forthe purpose of streamlining the disclosure. The features of the aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations of the disclosure may be combined inalternate aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations other than thosediscussed above. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claims require more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a singleforegoing disclosed aspect, embodiment, and/or configuration. Thus, thefollowing claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description,with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodimentof the disclosure.

Moreover, though the description has included description of one or moreaspects, embodiments, and/or configurations and certain variations andmodifications, other variations, combinations, and modifications arewithin the scope of the disclosure, e.g., as may be within the skill andknowledge of those in the art, after understanding the presentdisclosure. It is intended to obtain rights which include alternativeaspects, embodiments, and/or configurations to the extent permitted,including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures,functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or not suchalternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions,ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publiclydedicate any patentable subject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. An emergency vehicle alert system, comprising: analert module of a vehicle configured to detect a signal emitted by atleast one emergency signaling entity, wherein the alert module isconfigured to analyze the detected signal for signal information andidentify the detected signal as an emergency signal when the signalinformation of the detected signal includes information corresponding toat least one emergency; and a communication device associated with thevehicle and configured to present an alert to notify a user of thevehicle of the at least one emergency.
 2. The system of claim 1, whereinthe alert includes at least one alert type comprising one or more of avisual, acoustic, and haptic notification.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein analyzing the detected signal for signal information furthercomprises: determining characteristics of the detected signal over time;and comparing the determined characteristics of the detected signal toone or more signal profiles stored in memory, wherein each signalprofile of the one or more signal profiles is associated with at leastone of a signal source and emergency event type.
 4. The system of claim1, wherein the signal emitted by the at least one emergency signalingentity is a return signal in response to a radar signal sent by thevehicle.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein presenting the alert to thecommunication device associated with the vehicle is based at leastpartially on user preferences stored in memory and associated with theuser.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal emitted by the atleast one emergency signaling entity is a wireless communication signal,and wherein analyzing the detected signal for signal information furthercomprises: analyzing the wireless communication signal for signalinformation included in a payload of a packet associated with thewireless communication signal.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein thewireless communication signal includes at least one of vehicle controlinstructions, location information of the emergency vehicle relative tothe vehicle, destination information of the emergency vehicle, and anestimated time of arrival of the emergency vehicle.
 8. The system ofclaim 2, further comprising: determining whether the user of the vehiclehas acknowledged the alert presented to the communication device,wherein determining whether the user of the vehicle has acknowledged thealert presented to the communication device further comprises: detectingan input provided by the user in response to the alert being presented;determining whether the input provided by the user corresponds to arequired acknowledgment of the alert as defined by rules stored inmemory; providing an affirmative output that the user has acknowledgedthe alert when the input provided by the user corresponds to therequired acknowledgment of the alert; and providing a negative outputthat the user has failed to acknowledge the alert when the inputprovided by the user fails to correspond to the required acknowledgmentof the alert; presenting, when it is determined that the user of thevehicle has failed to acknowledge the alert presented to thecommunication device, a subsequent alert to the communication deviceassociated with the vehicle, wherein the subsequent alert includes amodification to at least one of the alert type, an intensity associatedwith the alert type, and a number of the alert types presented to thecommunication device.
 9. The system of claim 8, further comprising: acontroller configured to control a feature of the vehicle, wherein thefeature of the vehicle includes at least one of a navigation feature, amedia subsystem, an engine control, a steering control, and a geartransmission control.
 10. A method, comprising: detecting, by an alertmodule of a vehicle, an acoustic signal generated by an emergencysignaling entity; analyzing characteristics of the acoustic signal,wherein the characteristics include signal information associated withthe acoustic signal over a period of time; comparing the characteristicsof the acoustic signal with characteristics of one or more stored signalprofiles, wherein each of the one or more stored signal profiles isassociated with a specific emergency definition; determining whether amatch exists between the characteristics of the acoustic signal and thecharacteristics of one or more stored signal profiles; presenting, whenthe match exists, an alert to a communication device of the vehicle tonotify a user of the vehicle about the acoustic signal, wherein thepresentation of the alert includes at least one of playing a soundcorresponding to the acoustic signal detected, providing informationabout the acoustic signal detected, and providing the specific emergencydefinition associated with the matching signal profile.
 11. An emergencyvehicle alert method, comprising: detecting, by an alert module of avehicle, a signal emitted by at least one emergency signaling entity;analyzing the detected signal for signal information; identifying thedetected signal as an emergency signal when the signal information ofthe detected signal includes information corresponding to at least oneemergency; and presenting an alert to a communication device associatedwith the vehicle, wherein the alert is configured to notify a user ofthe vehicle about the at least one emergency.
 12. The method of claim11, wherein the alert includes at least one alert type comprising one ormore of a visual, acoustic, and haptic notification.
 13. The method ofclaim 11, wherein analyzing the detected signal for signal informationfurther comprises: determining characteristics of the detected signalover time; and comparing the determined characteristics of the detectedsignal to one or more signal profiles stored in memory, wherein eachsignal profile of the one or more signal profiles is associated with atleast one of a signal source and emergency event type.
 14. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the signal emitted by the at least one emergencysignaling entity is a return signal in response to a radar signal sentby the vehicle.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein presenting the alertto the communication device associated with the vehicle is based atleast partially on user preferences stored in memory and associated withthe user.
 16. The method of claim 11, wherein the signal emitted by theat least one emergency signaling entity is a wireless communicationsignal, and wherein analyzing the detected signal for signal informationfurther comprises: analyzing the wireless communication signal forsignal information included in a payload of a packet associated with thewireless communication signal.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein thewireless communication signal includes at least one of vehicle controlinstructions, location information of the emergency vehicle relative tothe vehicle, destination information of the emergency vehicle, and anestimated time of arrival of the emergency vehicle.
 18. The method ofclaim 12, further comprising: determining whether the user of thevehicle has acknowledged the alert presented to the communicationdevice; and presenting, when it is determined that the user of thevehicle has failed to acknowledge the alert presented to thecommunication device, a subsequent alert to the communication deviceassociated with the vehicle, wherein the subsequent alert includes amodification to at least one of the alert type, an intensity associatedwith the alert type, and a number of the alert types presented to thecommunication device.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein determiningwhether the user of the vehicle has acknowledged the alert presented tothe communication device further comprises: detecting an input providedby the user in response to the alert being presented; determiningwhether the input provided by the user corresponds to a requiredacknowledgment of the alert as defined by rules stored in memory;providing an affirmative output that the user has acknowledged the alertwhen the input provided by the user corresponds to the requiredacknowledgment of the alert; and providing a negative output that theuser has failed to acknowledge the alert when the input provided by theuser fails to correspond to the required acknowledgment of the alert.20. The method of claim 19, wherein the input provided by the user failsto correspond to the required acknowledgment of the alert, the methodfurther comprising: controlling a feature of the vehicle, wherein thefeature of the vehicle includes at least one of a navigation feature, amedia subsystem, an engine control, a steering control, and a geartransmission control.